Questions on Nursing Graduate Admission

Regrettably, the existence of nursing depends on the medical inadequacy of others. Unfortunately, nursing exists because people get hurt, cannot care for themselves, or need assistance with daily activities. Carol Taylor (2011), author of Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care, writes, “Nursing care involves any number of activities, from carrying out complicated technical procedures to something as seemingly as holding a hand” (p. 5). Taylor explains it is the duty of a nurse not only to learn the pertinent skills but also to bond with and comfort others. Nurses have to do and become many things: They must be stern when necessary, compassionate when needed, open minded

Human caring is what sets nursing apart from other professions. As Watson (1998) stated, “care and love are the most universal, the most tremendous and the most mysterious of cosmic forces: they comprise the primal universal psychic energy. Caring is the essence of nursing and the most central and unifying focus for nursing practice” (p. 32-33). It is important to establish a good nurse-patient relationship in order to create a healing environment that would meet patient’s needs on all levels including physical, mental/emotional and spiritual, promote recovery, maintain health, and create positive outcomes. Jean Watson emphasized the importance of human

The role of a nurse is viewed as stressful, so nurses need to be emotionally ready and be physically fit to participate in delivering care. Acts of kindness, trustworthiness, promoting privacy, ensuring dignity, being engrossed into the artistry of caring and engaging in anti-discriminatory practice (Baughan & Smith 2008) by respecting everyone, irrespective of age, culture, gender, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and the condition from which they are afflicted, are caring indicators of a nurse.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics provides many professional traits that can be incorporated to an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals such as compassion and respect, advocacy, accountability for nursing practice and participation in advancement of the nursing career (Cherry, 2011). Compassion is a very important aspect of the nursing profession. It would be very difficult to be a nurse without being compassionate. Nurses demonstrate compassion and respect daily in their work by actively listening to patients’ and family members’ problems and concerns and by empathy when appropriate. Advocacy is a nursing trait constantly used by the entire interdisciplinary team. Nurses advocate for patients’ right of autonomy for decision making in regards to their care, treatments and procedures. Also, nurses are in the best position to serve as a bridge between the patient and the interdisciplinary team. Accountability is so essential in the nursing profession. Nurses are accountable for their own nursing practices and for our patients.

Respect is vital to any relationship because it provides a base for fair and unbiased treatment of one another. Without respect for the worth of each individual and his expertise it would be difficult to act as a team. Just as critical to the function of a team is integrity. Integrity ensures that the nurse is acting honestly and holds herself to both moral and professional standards. Responsibility is essential in all nursing practice, but is particularly necessary when integrating care with other disciplines and professionals. As the functions of a healthcare team become more individually specific, the ability rely on each person to perform her part is crucial. Finally, compassion is the framework for all nursing action. While it is widely accepted that compassion for patients is part of nursing, compassion for fellow professionals is necessary too. In conjunction with respect, compassion allows the team to function by accepting each individual’s specific perspective and acknowledging the importance of their skills.

The profession of nursing is often looked at as taking care of sick people or treating physical well-being. Many do not realize that nursing encompasses so much more than that. It is very important to me to have a positive attitude that transfers to my coworkers and patients. I want to be committed to helping those in need and desire to be able to be a confident health educator. I think it is very important to use the knowledge I have in my area of expertise to instruct others where it is needed. I would like to be able to say I gave the highest quality of care that I could at the end of each day. I realize that not everything will always be perfect or smooth, and there is only so much I can do. However, many of the rough patches can be eased with hard work and a good outlook. I want to be able to form great relationships with my colleagues as well as the client and facilitate everyone working together. Nursing is a respectable profession and I hope to contribute my own compassion to the entire community.

Compassion is another valuable attribute of caring. Compassion is the sense of concern for others and their less than desirable situations. According to Perry (2009), compassion is the attention to minute details, generally exhibited in a face-to-face interaction with a patient/client (p. 18) and should be implemented when providing patient care and interventions. Attentiveness goes a long ways to enhance the well-being and quality of care provided to a patient/client. This in turn, establishes trust amongst a nurse/caregiver and a patient/client.

A nursing career and caring for the sick intertwine inseparably. It requires a tremendous amount of compassion and empathy to care for those who are in need. My philosophy of care is to treat others with dignity, respect and compassion regardless of their race, ethnicity or cultural background. It’s about treating people the way you want to be treated and to understand that sometimes the best medicine of all is kindness. In addition, not only is it important to provide effective and competent care to all patients, it’s extremely crucial to provide care that is genuine and compassionate. All health care consumers should be receiving care that reflects their values and beliefs.

Compassion, Dedication, Responsibility, Empathy these are just some of the many things nurses should have when caring for a patient. I have had the opportunity to provide service at St. Elizabeth’s hospital. I worked with St. Elizabeth Hospital Patient Portal Program; I would go from room to room and ask each patient if he/she would like to set up their patient portal where they have the option to see their test results and all their medical history on an online database. Many thought this was an excellent idea. You would enter a patients room and see that their not in the best condition. Going in a patient’s room can be scary at times however, going into a situation confident that you maybe unsure about is the best thing you can do. After

My approaches to caring include compassion, grace, service, presence, love, empowerment, partnership, justice and advocacy. I believe that an effective nurse thinks critically, communicates effectively, feels deeply, interacts meaningfully, assumes responsibility, acts morally, approaches clients within a partnering framework, understands that people’s needs vary with developmental stage and cultural background, and views people holistically, recognizing that health encompasses both wellness and illness. I believe that I believe the nature of nursing is rooted in commitment to public service and the undeniable desire to help those in need. Nursing is more than treating an illness; rather it is focused on delivering quality patient care that is individualized to

Each person comes from a different backgrounds, cultures, and has had many different experiences. Every person has the right to make decisions about their lives and healthcare. Each person deserves to be respected and has worth to society. When treating patients the nurse must realize that the person has three components body, mind, and spirit. All three components must be a part of care because if only some of the components are treated the patient will not fully heal.

There are many different aspects to being a ‘good nurse’, but there are six core principles of nursing which have emerged through progression of the nursing profession, (DoH 2012). The core principles were brought in as a result of issues raised within the National Health Service (NHS) and have been identified as caring and compassion; dignity; communication; professionalism; emotional intelligence and the nurse-patient relationship. The three principles I have chosen to analyse are communication, dignity and nurse-patient relationship because it is my belief that when a nurse lacks awareness of these, they will also lack the ability to be a successful nurse. From my own research and experience, these three principles are

Nursing is a unique discipline that calls for a special type of person to give compassionate

Nursing is a noble and rewarding career because it involves saving and caring for others lives. When dealing with others health nurses need to posses a great amount of good qualities to ensure the patient feel safe and well taken care of. In times of sadness nurses need to be supportive and empathic with the patient and their family, in times of concern a nurse needs to be encouraging. Nurses tend to take on different roles while taking care of a patient they sometimes have to be an educator to the patient, advocate for the patient, and a problem-solver. Thus the profession requires empathy, patience, compassion, flexibility, trustworthy and great interpersonal skills.

Nursing goes beyond caring for a patient during their illness and managing their disease process. Nursing includes adapting to a patient’s and their family’s physical, social, spiritual, environmental and psychological needs. I believe in treating the whole patient and being supportive of the family’s needs as well. Shelly & Miller (2006) asserts “while critical thinking, decision-making, and leadership skills are extremely important, the characteristics nurses need most are compassion, competence, faith, integrity and responsibility” (p. 291).