Accountability and Autonomy
Accountability and Autonomy are some of the attributes that are important as part of my professional responsibilities. These two attributes have been described as essential elements of professional nursing. These attributes exemplify some of the reasons why I chose to become a professional nurse. I look forward to a period when I would be responsible for my actions in the caring of a patient. It shows a form of maturity to be entrusted with the care of a patient. It is no doubt a thing of pride.
Accountability is central to the future of Nursing. With Nurses demanding taking more autonomous responsibilities about the care of patients, there is a need for the future nurse to take more responsibilities for their actions. Accountability has many dimensions. The nurse must be accountable to the patients they care for by providing the best care that can be offered in the facility. The nurse is also to be accountable to his or her employers and satisfy all the contents of the job description and terms of employment. Over and above all, the nurse must be accountable to the profession and by so doing, uphold all the relevant ethics and codes of conduct stipulated as part of being a nurse professional.
Advocate
Advocacy is one of the core attributes of professionalism in Nursing. The Professional Nurse is an advocate for the client. H/She strives to protect all the rights of the client including human and legal rights. It is also the duty of the professional nurse to assist the client in a professional capacity if there is any need to assert the any of the rights of the client as the need arises. I see this as a challenge for the future professional nurse. Although it is not a challenge that cannot be surmounted. in fact, being able to practice this attribute will be one of the important yardsticks in determining if the nurse has been professional in the discharge of his/her duties professionally. There would be times when the nurse may have to act as an advocate for the client's right generally by speaking out against actions and policies that come in conflict with he fundamental rights of the patient.
The scope and standards of professional performance.
The standards of practice are a description of competency at which each nurse is expected to operate in each of the phases of the nursing process. Each standard of practice is accompanied by these competencies. The standards of performance, on the other hand, describe a level of appropriate behavior that each nurse is expected to exhibit in a professional capacity.
The scope and standards of practice of nursing profession
The scope and standards of practice of nursing profession is a document that elaborates on where, when, why, who and how the nursing profession would be practiced. The standards outline the duties that the nurse would perform to ensure the high standards in the quality of nursing practice and education. This document was developed by ANA and it was first published in 1973 although periodic reviews are done to update the document in order for it to meet the realities of the present day. The standards are a reflection of the priorities and the values for which the nursing profession stands. The document is a description of the responsibilities which the registered nurse has and which he/she is accountable for and also the document stipulates the accountability of the nursing profession to the general public and the outcomes for which t professional nurse can be held accountable.
REFERENCES
P Kopp (2001). Accountability, autonomy and standards. NursingTimes.net <http://www.nursingtimes.net/part-51-accountability-autonomy-and-standards/200972.article#>
RN.com (2011). Professional Nursing Practice: An Update. RN.com An Healthcare Education Services. <http://www.rn.com/getpdf.php/1677.pdf>
