The Australian Competency Standards For The Registered Nurse

How does knowledge of the foundations and history of nursing provide a context in which to understand current practice? Identify at least three trends in nursing practice from the "Nursing Timeline of Historical Events" media piece. How have these trends influenced your perspective of nursing practice?

Some of the main diseases were smallpox and dysentery. Smallpox was a large epidemic that greatly affected the war. In fact, the British even used smallpox as a weapon. They sent out an infected soldier with the intention of bringing the epidemic to the American lines. Everybody knew how much of a problem this would be, but unfortunately they could not do anything about it. So, when these attacks came, there was really no defense unlike other kinds of attack. The war made smallpox much more widespread with people constantly come and going to new places, and constant contact. Because not a lot could really be done about the diseases yet, hospitals were merely used to confine the ill, not treat them. Majority of the time, anyone affected by an illness was left mostly defenseless. All they could really do was confine them, and hope nobody else was infected because of that person. The outbreak of all these diseases led to a desperate search for a quick fix to this large

The liability issues, in Yolanda Pinnelas case, stem from multiple actions or inactions of the nursing staff

In the U.S nursing officially began in the early 1700’s when the first almshouse was opened in Philadelphia. It continues to expand because of the fear from local governments of diseases spreading to the wealthier population. But due to the funding nurses didn’t have proper training. Also, the only roles for the nurse within the hospitals during this period of time was primarily tending the elderly and those with sicknesses, such as the flu and the common cold. The almshouses were rarely equipped to deal with any actual illnesses. However, most nurses spent their time tending to soldier’s wounds within the Civil War, as well as joining the American Red Cross after the war. It wasn’t until the 20th century that actual progress and modernization

As nurses, we have an innate ability to care for others. Because of this, we find that we have put others before ourselves, which makes for compassionate and empathetic nursing care, but can lead to internal downfalls. There is a shift for the nurse, when providing nurturing care for patients becomes difficult. The downfalls are seen after repeated exposure to stressful work environments, work overload, lack of recognition and the repeated exposure to patients suffering, which nurses attempted to relieve. With advancements in healthcare, prolonging of life, increasing physical and emotional needs from patients and their families and the aging of American, nurses have an increase in stressors and demands.

Developing countries such as Ethiopia, located in Africa, have a different perspective and way of implicating nursing practices than nurses in Australia do. According to The World Bank survey taken in 2010, Australia has 9.6 nurses for every thousand citizens counted compared to Ethiopia, who has a low 0.2 nurses for every thousand citizens counted (The World Bank, 2010). These differences in nursing practices include the availability and maintenance of medical technology to help nurses achieve the best care for patients, the education standards for nurses and nursing students, and the quality of the nurse’s infection prevention practices.

Barry, R. (n.d.). Nursing Past, Present, Future [video]. In American Nurses Association. Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/AboutANA/Nursing-Video-Gallery/ANA-History.html

Nurses have always have been a major part of the healthcare system. According to Creating programs, the profession is one of the fastest growing and by 2020, they have estimated that there will be a need for 3.44 million nurses, however, although nurses are the fastest growing the nursing population is decreasing (Sheffield 2). They are the one’s who interact with the patients and their family on a daily basis. Creating personal relationships that allow the patient to see more than just an ill person, but as a human being that had a life before they needed medical help. Healthcare systems have faced many challenges of low staffing, higher costs for resources, recruiting and reserving of registered nurses, along with liability issues. Recently,

Thanks Xiaoning. The national competency standard for nurses that I have been assigned to talk about today number 10.4 which is “Collaborates with the health care team to inform policy and guideline development.”

Not only did florence Nightingale revolutionize the world by nursing by establishing nursing schools and emphasizing the importance of quality care and sanitation, but she also spread her knowledge through writing books, such as 'Notes on Hospital' (1859) and 'Notes on Nursing' (1859). She spread her knowledge and ideas so that everyone throughout the world could get proper care.

The three trends that I have identified that influenced the nursing practice are infection control, education, and advocacy. Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory, which led to infection control. She believed the role of a nurse “is to promote or provide the proper environment for patients, including fresh air, light, pure water, cleanliness, warmth, quiet, and appropriate diet.”(Creasia & Friberg, 2011, P.101) This led health care systems implementing sterile techniques,

Before Florence went into nursing, most people who went into hospitals did not come out again. In addition, much of medicine was based on superstition. Most training physicians also avoided handling patients or doing physical work in order to be seen as gentlemen. Nurses were also only allowed to change dressings on wounds and dole out medicine with a doctor’s permission. Nightingale found it exasperating that many hospitals made their own ways to classify diseases.

Furthermore, she showed incapability in one of the emergency situations that took place in the ward. She was able to press the emergency button during that time but failed to take any independent nursing actions that could help the patient save his life. As a competent nurse, you should be able to act promptly and think fast during an emergency situation. It is

In 1960, Virginia Avenel Henderson a nurse and a theorist at the same time, defined nursing, “the unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible”. It is a noble function and to be fulfilled at the highest levels, it takes time, patience and the devotion. When the number of people given nursing care is much lower than of people who must receive the care, then a crisis occurs. The nursing shortage is an acute phenomenon not only in America, but all around the world. Even if the nursing is considered a meaningful work, the country is facing a nursing shortage that grows more with each passing year. Nursing shortages in America affect all parts of the health care delivery system.

In the recent years, nursing as a profession has faced several challenges and emerging issues that affect the health welfare of the society at large. Despite the concerted efforts set to tackle the challenges, still the nursing industry proves to be difficult to fully embrace the changes outlined each time. Example of challenges facing nursing includes nurses' etiquette while at work, commitment to their work, commitment to their profession as nurses, meeting patients' expectations, shortage of nurses and commitment to patients.