Nursing Professionalism Essay
Professionalism
Professionalism is a liberal concept that denote the aesthetical aspects of an individual. In fact, professionalism encompasses dressing, confidence, actions, proficiency and skills, ethical behavior, poise, tone, communication etiquette, organization, and responsibility. It is important to note that the concept of professionalism is subjective such that what constitutes professionalism for one occupation may not be the case for another occupation (Yoder-Wise, 2013). The present paper discusses the concept of professionalism as it applies to the nursing occupation. Nursing Professionalism Essay
Nursing is a ‘people’ profession that involves regular contact with people in the processes of completing work tasks. As such, it places emphasis on the need for nurses to act with professionalism. In this case, professionalism is described with eight attributes as discussed. The first attribute is knowledge whereby nurses are require to be knowledgeable. This involves communicating and sharing knowledge with other stakeholders (family, patients and other medical personnel) to improve health outcomes and care approaches. In addition, they should use evidence and information from the nursing discipline and other relevant disciplines to inform nursing practice. Besides that, they should synthesize information from different sources, use evidence-based and theoretical rationales to justify practice decisions, apply knowledge, and be skilled in applying clinical, practical and theoretical nursing knowledge (Butts & Karen, 2018). Nursing Professionalism Essay
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The second attribute is spirit of inquiry whereby nurses are always expected to seek new knowledge. This involves being committed to the life-long pursuit of knowledge and learning. Additionally, nurses should strive to define contextual response patterns from stakeholders while asking questions that refine existing knowledge and generate knowledge. Also, they should be open-minded and exhibit a desire to subjectively and objectively explore new knowledge (Butts & Karen, 2018).
The third attribute is accountability. This involves nurses recognizing their development areas, knowledge base and personal capabilities, as well as actively engaging in advancing care quality. Besides that, they should commit to achieving the desired outcomes by working with other stakeholders (collaboration). In addition, they should clarify their scope of practice by suing the existing code of ethics, practice standards and legislation. Furthermore, they should comprehend the concept of self-regulations and how it affects their practice (Butts & Karen, 2018). Nursing Professionalism Essay
The fourth attribute is autonomy. This involves nurses having an awareness of the constraints and barriers that interfere with their autonomy, and seeking ways to address them. Also, they should recognize relational autonomy and how it affects work relationships and context. Additionally, they should understand how their scope of practice affects their capacity to make decisions and work independently (Butts & Karen, 2018).
The fifth attribute is advocacy. This involves nurses being knowledgeable about nursing and other policies that affect their capacity to deliver/provide medical care. In addition, nurses should be involved in professional practice activities and initiatives that enhance medical care. Furthermore, they should aid patients and their family members with their learning needs, while understanding the perspective of other stakeholders (Butts & Karen, 2018). Nursing Professionalism Essay
The sixth attribute is innovation and visionary. This involves nurses influencing the future of the professional environment that includes medical care systems, care delivery and nursing development. Also, they should show initiative for new thought processes and ideas while being involved through active participation. Additionally, they should foster an innovative culture that enhances favorable outcomes for the stakeholders (Porter-O’Grady&Malloch, 2016).
The seventh attribute is collaboration and collegiality. This involves nurses recognizing and acknowledging the interdependence that exists between medical professions such that each profession has a unique responsibility and the sum of this responsibilities constitutes comprehensive and complete care. Besides that, they should always act as mentors to other persons in the nursing profession (students, colleagues and nurses) to support and enhance their professional growth. Also, they should develop professional partnerships within a professional context with a view to improving the capacity to complete professional tasks as well as improving care outcomes (Porter-O’Grady&Malloch, 2016). Nursing Professionalism Essay
The final attribute is values and ethics. This involves nurses engaging in critical through processes on moral and ethical issues that arise within the professional and clinical practice environment. In addition, they should collaborate with other medical personnel in issues revolving around the development and maintenance of a practice environment that supports nursing personnel while respective their professional, legal and moral/ethical responsibilities. Also, they should have the capacity to collect and apply information from a range of sources when making moral and ethical decisions. Furthermore, they should apply knowledge of nursing ethics in decision-making and acting on the decisions. Besides that, they should be able to identify ethical/moral dilemmas, issues and concerns in the practice environment. Additionally, they should be knowledgeable about moral/ethical decision-making, concepts and values relevant to nursing practice (Porter-O’Grady&Malloch, 2016).
Overall, it is important to note that the concept of professionalism within the nursing profession is enabled by the practice context and is an essential feature for achieving a healthy working environment. In addition, it must be acknowledged that the eight attributes as discussed present professionalism (in the nursing context) as a guiding tenet that enhances outcomes for medical systems and organizations, patients and their families as well as nursing personnel and other medical personnel. Besides that, professionalism presents strategies for achieving success within the professional environment. As a result, professionalism in nursing can be considered as a guide that loosely outlines expected professional conduct. Nursing Professionalism Essay
References
Butts, J. & Karen, R. (2018).Philosophies and theories for advanced nursing practice (3rded.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Porter-O’Grady, T. &Malloch, K. (2016). Leadership in nursing practice: changing the landscape of healthcare (2nded.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Yoder-Wise, P. (2013). Leading and managing in nursing (5thed.). Amsterdam: Elsevier Health Sciences. Nursing Professionalism Essay