The Pseudo Profession Of Nursing Essay

Many things influence one’s personal perceptions of the great profession called nursing. According to the American Nurses Association, nursing is defined as “protection, promotion, and abilities, prevention of illness and injury,

Peter Crosta M.A (2014) says that nursing is a healthcare profession focused on caring for the service user and their families giving the best possible quality of care to a service user no matter their condition until death. It will allow the service user to recover from illness, control their illness or reach an optimal status of health that they can control. Hunt et al (1994) suggests that the profession of a nurse would place great importance on nurse training and states that a nurse cannot be competent at something unless they have specific training on an area.

A profession can be defined as a “prestigious occupation with a high degree of identification among its member that requires a length and rigorous education in an intellectually demanding and theoretically based course of study; that engages in rigorous self-regulation and control; that holds authority over clients; and that puts service to society above simple self interest” (Schwirian, 1998, p. 6). Nursing is just that, and with its specific body of knowledge, standards, and codes of ethics, it is only fitting that it be self-regulated (College of Nurses of Ontario, 2012). The College of Nurses works with registered nurses, registered practical nurses, and nurse practioners to determine whether or not standards and best practices are met and that the public’s safety is protected.

An ongoing debate for the requirements to become a Registered Nurse (RN) has been unsettled. Several different educational pathways lead to an RN licensure; however, the minimum educational requirements must be standardized at the baccalaureate level for several reasons. Spetz and Bates (2013) published that a growing number of hospitals prefer hiring nurses with a Bachelor Science in Nursing (BSN) as this increases the status of the nursing profession (p. 1). Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), as well as a certificate on-the-job training Diploma are two other educational pathways to become an RN, which can be disadvantageous to the nursing profession in several ways (Tollick 2013; Spetz and Bates 2013). If entry-level nurses

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 &

A professional is characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace. Being professional should be a subconscious effort in the fact that it should always be applied. When employees are professional it helps the system run more efficiently and safely. A person must me a certain criteria when being evaluated on professionalism, a person is judged based on the clients; Attitude, Values, Communication techniques, and approachability. Clients who display a committed, dependable attitude will benefit more from work exerted, and overall be rewarded with incentives. Although professionalism may be in the eye of the

On January 19th, 2009, Ian Andrews was given a seven-month suspension from the nursing profession. A year prior, Andrews was working as a full-time practical nurse at a mental health and addictions hospital located in Ontario. The client affected by Andrews ' actions was an elderly individual, who was diagnosed with autism and presented occasional periods of rage and fury. The client’s care plan involved managing periods of aggressiveness through staff support and the use of restraints, as necessary. On the day of the incident, staff nurses noticed that upon the client’s grunt, Andrews punched the client in the face several times, as the client tried to cover his face. Andrews then took the client into the bathroom where thudding noises were heard. Upon arrival, the nurses noticed Andrews standing over the client uninjured, with the wall covered with traces of blood and a broken faucet resting in the sink. Later in the evening, Andrews ' left a progress note within the client 's chart which described that the client had injured himself due to a period of restlessness. Upon patient assessment, a wound was noted on the client’s bottom lip along with minor lacerations present at the back of the client’s head.

Multidimensional and profound, taking on a nursing career is more than simply acquiring an occupation. As explained by Shwartz (1904), “Nursing should always be spoken of and looked upon as a profession” (p. 834). What is a profession? “A profession is responsible for developing and overseeing its standards and for communicating those standards to the public. The public in turn has a right to demand that the profession adhere to those standards” (Fowler, 2015, p.122). Getting a grasp of this definition

Historically, the nursing field is one that has consistent positive job outlooks, as there is typically a continued shortage. Healthcare is the backbone of most communities, not just for its services, but also for the jobs it provides and the economy stimulation. Jill Bernstein, author for “Changes in Health Care Financing and Organization” states, “The health care industry is a critical component of the national, and most regional and local economies of the United States” (4). The nursing field has suffered challenges due to the economic, social, and the political downturn of the U.S. Nevertheless, there is still some noticeable growth taking place and opportunities available. This shows encouraging signs for new nursing graduates.

Firstly, let us find out what the criteria is for a profession. To have a profession it is generally a field of study that you would require specialized training, for example have a special license to do the required job. As a result this is not just a job but a passion and a career choice. Furthermore, in a profession a code of ethics or standards is in place, and has a professional organization that establishes guidelines like for example for nurses the ANA sets the standards of care (p27). Therefore, is a RN a professional? Professional is defined as person who has completed an extended study at an establishment of higher educational learning and considers their permanent path as a passion and a career choice (p.28). Therefore, the career choice of a RN is considered professional. Due to these circumstances, the RN falls into both of these categories and has met the criteria as professional as noted

they also receive on the job training as education through trial and error while working

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.

Many people believe that Nursing started with Florence Nightingale, however nursing itself dates back to the beginnings of motherhood when nurses were traditionally female. In fact, nursing and medicine have been closely intertwined throughout the ages. The history of nursing has its origins in the care of infants and children, so all mothers were in fact nurses. Gradually an evolution started developing into dedicated caregivers who practiced the art. In fact, nursing has been called the oldest of arts and the youngest of professions.

Nursing is universal in the sense that nurses can be found almost in all countries around the world (Henderson, 1978). They are in the hospitals, in school clinics, in the community centres, residential homes and even play major roles in some of the popular soap operas in television. There are even television shows that mainly revolve around nurses and which chronicles what they do at work - both the positive and the negative. It is one of the most visible and easily identifiable occupations as compared for example to other occupations such as engineers, managers or even pharmacists, medical technologists and other health related occupations. This is partly because of what nurses do and most especially how nurses look - with some still

Nursing is a profession that blends the rich traditions of the past with the ever changing realities of today's health care industry. Nursing is not simply an assortment of special skills and the nurse is not simply a person proficient in performing these specific tasks. Nursing is a profession. I believe this statement to be true because of several factors. The Title 19 Code for Nurses is titled "Standards for Professional Nursing Practice". The status of nursing as a profession reflects the values that society places on the work of nurses and how central nursing is to the good of society. "By being a professional we imply that the person is conscientious in actions, knowledgeable in the subject and