Professionalism
Annestasia O’Connor
Brown Mackie College South Bend Merriam-Webster dictionary defines professionalism as “the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well” (Merriam-Webster, 1828). I believe nurses are held to a higher standard of professionalism due to the importance and severity of their jobs.
Val Gokenbach states: “We bear the tremendous responsibility of upholding the values of our profession. Our core nursing values define the driving force that dictates our beliefs and our behaviors. Nursing as a profession embodies many values inherent in those who pursue nursing careers. When nurses are asked to identify their core values, they are surprisingly
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When someone thinks you’re professional as a nurse they think you’re competent and you really love what you do. Language is another important part of being professional. You should always use correct medical term in the medical field unless the patient or person you are explaining it to does not understand then break it down for them. If someone in the medical field is using slang or foul language it tends to make me believe they are disrespectful or too uneducated to think of a better word to …show more content…
Nurses must remember that even though their job can be stressful, it's often no match for the anxiety created by being a patient or having a loved one in the hospital. While it's natural for nurses to feel overwhelmed by their jobs, it's important they don't let this affect how they treat patients. If they're dismissive or cranky, the patient will feel disregarded, which could in turn affect his attitude, making him feel hopeless and discouraged. Nurses must strive to approach every patient in a friendly, optimistic and caring manner, setting their personal concerns aside while they're at work. Health care is a team effort, so it's imperative that nurses maintain professional, collaborative relationships with doctors, fellow nurses and other health-care staff. Even if a nurse dislikes a coworker, she must place her patients' health ahead of her feelings and do whatever it takes to work together. If conflict arises, nurses must make an effort to resolve the situation in a way that supports the patient's recovery, even if that means compromising or letting another nurse take the lead. It's also important for nurses to foster positive relationships with their patients. If a patient trusts his nurse and feels that she's taken an interest in his case, he'll be more likely to speak up if he has questions or concerns, or if he's experiencing pain,
When it comes to a nursing philosophy, every nurse has their own values, beliefs, and ideals that are different and unique from others. It presents a great challenge when incorporating these ideas into a professional practice. “Professional values are standards for actions accepted by the practitioner and professional group that provide a framework influencing the behavior of the group.” (“Professional Values: The Case for RN-BSN Completion Education,” 2008, p.1). Identifying which values are most important will have a huge
Behaviors associated with nursing professionalism go far beyond how nurses practice in a clinical setting. Alidina describes professionalism as “a multidimensional concept that provides nurses with opportunities to grow personally and professionally (2013, p. 128). This shows that professionalism has many different components. Alidina also uses “Miller’s Wheel of Professionalism.” This model uses a wheel to represent different aspects of professionalism. The different behaviors that are represented are “adherence to code for nurses, community service orientation, Professional Organization Participation, autonomy and self-regulation, Publication and Communication, development and use of theory and research, and continuing education and competence (2013, p. 129-130).
I learned that as a nurse I must take the initiative to regulate my work environment and myself. As much as nurses are part of the larger healthcare team, they often function autonomously. I will need to keep my skills up to date and educate myself by reading current research articles and taking classes at work. I will need to be humble and open to constructive criticism from my fellow employees. I must do my best to be hard working, honest, and helpful both in the work place and my persona life. It’s irrational to think people can be completely honest in one area of their life, but not the rest. If I suffer from any sort of bias towards my patients for the choices
Nurses must display a knowledge of skills by portraying a functional ability to assess, treat, and prevent illness in the clinical setting. “The nurses are obliged to gain specialized knowledge, skills and training through the rigorous study of biological, physical and behavioral sciences and then use this knowledge to diagnose and treat patients suffering from different ailments. The patients treated must be under the supervision of skilled medical practitioners and the nurse must be equally directed by the expert medical practitioner. The prevention and management of illnesses, injury and ailments also forms some of the major tasks that have to be carried out by nurses. Politeness in expression, compassion for patients and proper uniform are also some of the main parts of professionalism in nursing.” (professonalism in nursing http://www.buzzle.com/articles/professionalism-in-nursing.html)
Many elements at the core of nursing require technical knowledge and skills. According to the National League of Nursing, the core values are caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence (Core Value: National League for Nursing, 2007). I believe the core of nursing is care, as simple as caring seems; fundamentally nursing is about caring for people.
Professional nursing practice has been developing for several centuries. Nursing as a profession can be traced back to the early Christian era. Since then the perception of nursing practice has changed significantly. “Nursing is caring, commitment, and dedication to meeting the functional health needs of all people” (Craven &
Professional values guide the decisions and actions we make in our careers. As nurses we are responsible for caring for patients during birth, death, illness and healing. If we are not aware of the decisions and actions to take it would be impossible to provide our patients with exceptional care. The values that are the foundation of the nursing profession are altruism, autonomy, human dignity, and social justice. In this paper I will define each value and describe their impact on nurses and nursing students.
In a highly respected profession such as nursing, professionalism is an important element to staying employed and setting one’s self apart from the rest of the applicants when competing for a potential job. By definition professionalism are the qualities and traits that describe a professional. While knowledge is crucial in any profession, according to an article published by the University of Kansas (2012), “all medical professionals must strive to retain those humanistic qualities integrity, respect, and compassion that constitute the essence of professionalism.” Whether you work in a hospital or administration these three qualities encompass the core of nursing and exemplify what it means to be a professional.
The building of a positive relationship is described as showing warmth, respect and empathy however to provide effective communication between nurse and patient the nurse needs to be aware of and identify the patient’s physical, social and psychological barriers. A nurse can use these tools to build trust, mutual respect and confidence with the patient as these are needed for
One needs to be there to comfort them and keep them calm when needed to. Caring for people come with the job of being a nurse. If a person cannot care for the people they are helping, they will not surpass as a nurse. In order to be a nurse, one has to have a great deal of patience. In a single shift, one may have to deal with aggressive patients, angry family members, a grumpy co-worker or supervisor, and even some patients who have many “intestinal accidents.” To get through all this, one needs to keep positive and have a smile on their face.
Professionalism as a whole is expected of everyone, and is not something that should have to be commended, because I feel it is a standard. There are varying degrees of how to act professional, and not everyone has the same opinion on what is professional and what is not. Problems arise when there are differing opinions, because which person is right? It is easy to have a clear picture of what professionalism is when there are actual guidelines in place, such as the licensed practical nurse (LPN) guidelines. These guidelines, or scope of practice is written out by the board of nursing in the state of practice (Potter et al., 2011), and then more specific guidelines are written within individual facilities based on the state.
It is important to integrate the concept professionalism into your nursing career because it allows you to flourish personally as a nurse but more importantly allows the patient to receive the care they deserve. Throughout the course of one’s nursing career there will be many slips and falls. Mistakes will happen but we as nurses are able to reflect and learn from them in a
I also believe nurses are professionals, and it is vital that nurses portray that role, no matter the circumstances. The nurse that cared for me acted very professional. Although she was funny and down to earth, she portrayed professionalism every time she was in my room. I knew she respected me, my friends and family and that made me respect her even more.
To be a person who is deemed professional you have to have a sense of leadership. Leadership in the healthcare field means you have to be willing to teach others. You help build and maintain a culture that facilitates professionalism. As a leader you do not participate in workplace pranks. Another important aspect of professionalism is honor and integrity. To have honor and integrity in the workplace you need to be forthcoming with information; and not hold important information for your own benefit. You can admit your own errors. You deal with confidential information discreetly and appropriately. One of the most important attributes regarding professionalism is respect. You have to respect institutional staff and all staff representatives. You have to respect patients rights and dignity and their privacy and confidentiality. A person who is professional has to have caring, compassionate and have communication. You treat the patient as an individual taking into account lifestyle, religious beliefs, and ethnicity. You communicate bad news with sincerity and compassion. You deal with sickness, death, and dying in a professional manner with the patient and the patient’s family members.
Everywhere you go and in everything you do, professionalism comes in to account in some way or another. Professionalism has been defined as, “a strict adherence to courtesy, honesty and responsibility when dealing with individuals or other companies in the business environment” (Clarke, 2015). When it comes to the career of nursing, professionalism is taken to a whole other level. Not only does professionalism come in to account with your business professionals and peers, but you have patients with whom professionalism is highly practiced as well. Professionalism in nursing means that you are able to handle all the responsibilities given to you in an efficient and proper way. It means that when you are given an order that needs to be carried out by a doctor or a patient who needs your help, you adhere to what is being expected of you in a timely manner. Physicians put trust into nurses in order to carry out orders that are needed to save patients’ lives. If you’re not looked at as professional and responsible, it is going to be very hard to have a successful career. Responsibility is what nursing is all about. Professionalism in nursing means that along with taking on big responsibilities, you have discipline. Discipline in nursing is crucial to being successful. Not only to keep your patients safe, but so that you personally are on the ball and looked at by others as professional, therefore, making you a great nurse. Professionalism means that you have the