Owing to the different types of nursing practice available, it is easy to confuse these on consideration of all being professional nursing practices. However, this concept is based on the assessment of various contributing factors. The context of professional nursing practice is premised on the definition of ‘profession.’ According to Masters (2014), a profession refers to a chosen occupation that is guided by standard rules of practice and one that requires formal qualification and prolonged training. In this case, professional nursing practice is explained on the determination of the accepted nursing standards at this level, the requisite nursing educational qualifications, roles and responsibilities of professional nurses, and the work environment in which they operate in. In this regard, this paper will evaluate the underlying meaning of professional nursing practice in relation to the above identified contribution factors.
A professional, regardless of their career choices, is defined as an individual who is expected to display their competency and display their skill behavior in their chosen field. This concept is applicable in nursing as a career. A professional nurse is expected to display skill when interacting with patients, administering treatment, and ensuring maintenance and upholding of required ethical standards as required by the practice. In this regard, the determination of the right conduct expected of nurses was established by the pioneer in nursing care, Florence Nightingale. In this case, she reinvented nursing and established practices embodied in modern nursing. In this case, she established enhanced patient-care which involved round-the-clock patient surveillance in enhancing the quality of care provided to patients.
In addition, Florence Nightingale set precedence for nursing innovation as revealed in her usage of accurate record keeping and patient’s condition analysis and which consequently resulted in the reduction of the mortality rate of patients under her care. Also, she practiced patient-centered care. In this case, she engaged with her patient’s on a one-on-one basis. This practice is explained as nursing the patient as opposed to nursing the illness. As a result, she was able to establish a relationship with her patients and build the element of trust. This practice assisted in the understanding of the patient’s needs in an attempt to implement appropriate nursing care to meet these needs. In this regard, it can be safely deduced that Florence Nightingale was the predecessor of professional nursing practice and whose standards form the bedrock of modern nursing practices (McSherry and Watson, 2012).
Based on the premises of modern nursing and what it stands for, the direct connection to patients influences the establishment of values that every professional nurse is required to abide by (Blaise and Hayes, 2014). In this case, the following are the core values every professional nurse is expected to work by:
Integrity- this quality takes into consideration honesty and truthfulness. In this case, nurses are bound by the code of ethics to ensure the reveal all information to their patient, aimed at facilitating patient recovery. Additionally, nurses are required to display a moral and good character. Since the core focus of nurses is the patients they attend to, they are required to have the right character that provides assurance of quality healthcare being accorded to patients.
Compassionate Care- The nursing profession is one that deals with not only the provision of required duties to facilitate patient recovery, but also one that is premised on the provision of these services with care. This provision was espoused by Florence Nightingale in her patient-centered focus and which permeates through professional nursing.
Communication and Collaboration- As mentioned above, the core business of nurses is the provision of healthcare to patients. Since the practice requires a one on one interaction with patients, nurses are required to have good communication skills. Moreover, owing to the auspices of modern healthcare that calls for collaboration between medical practitioners and the patients themselves, professional nurses should collaborate with patients in order to identify their needs and as such act on the best approach to ensure their needs are met.
Excellence- The goal of professional nursing practice is the achievement of excellence. This goal is achieved through the adoption of innovative practices that improve the quality of healthcare. As such, nurses continually strive to improve their work output to further the gains made in relation to individual patient care and provision of quality healthcare.
Nursing Knowledge- The cornerstone of every professional development is pegged on continuous learning. New knowledge is discovered on a frequent basis as a result of research. In relation to the nature of work involved in nursing which is the provision of quality healthcare, it is expected that professional nurses will improve the standards of their practice by investing in professional development and acquisition of higher levels of learning.
Advocacy- Professional nurses are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring the safety and protection of the patients they serve. In this case, they are viewed as advocates in ensuring patients receive adequate and essential healthcare services. This responsibility is done in relation to established codes of conduct governing nurses as well as regulatory considerations.
Equality- Professional nurses should strive to ensure equality of all patients irrespective of gender, ethnic, or socioeconomic differences that may exist in the patient population. In this case, every individual should be accorded the right to quality healthcare and as such, this premise should be advanced and practiced by nurses. This duty is in consideration of their core value of provision of care to patients despite their background.
The above values relate to global perspectives of the core values governing professional nursing. Profession nursing takes into consideration both personal and professional values governing the practice. For this reason, professional nurses are required to develop appropriate personal values and relevant concepts to aid in the alleviation of suffering of patients. This aspect is illustrated below:
Attitude
An individual’s attitude plays a significant role in determination of one’s work output. In this case, if one has a good attitude and outlook towards one’s profession, they are bound to receive exemplary results. In this case, professional nurses are required to adopt the right attitude in the course of their work. Since the profession involves direct interaction with patients a nurse’s attitude plays a significant role in ensuring the provision of quality healthcare.
I was able to witness this situation on a first-case basis. During my clinical training, I encountered a nurse who expressed a very negative attitude towards both the patient and her colleagues. She always talked about her personal issues with everyone interested in listening to her. As a result, this situation reflected negatively on her in relation to her professionalism, both on the part of her colleagues as well as that of her patients. She constantly underperformed and also had strained relationships with her patients as they did not wish to receive their treatment from her. In this regard, professional nurses are required to separate their personal and professional lives and prevent the overlapping of any of these facets as they have detrimental effects on either facet.
Appearance
In almost all instances, individuals are judged by their appearance. This factor plays a significant role in the nursing profession in relation to the delicate work environment that increases the risk to the patient. In this case, as a result of the risks emanating from the transmission and bacterial infection, these are typically eliminated through cleanliness. For this reason, nurses are required to ensure a presentable outlook that portrays their professionalism and dedication to their jobs. In this case, this image leads to the assumption that since one can take care of themselves, they can also take care of others.
Willingness to Help Others
The nursing profession is based on the aspect of caring and providing assistance to those in need. In this case, nurses are required to have an innate need to help others. This provision allows individuals to perform well at their work. This concept also relates to a nurse’s colleagues. The profession is built on teamwork which involves participation from other medical practitioners such as physicians, pharmacists, and other nurses. As such, one should strive to ensure a harmonious relationship with other members of the team to ensure the common goal, that is, one of ensuring patient safety, is achieved as determined.
In light of the above values, both personal and professional, in order to provide efficient service, nurses are often guided by standard principles of the nursing profession. This aspect provides a defined basis from which individuals, both the nursing staff and patients, can expect from the profession. Furthermore, the principles relate to acceptable standards of care accorded to patients, and which the latter can expect from a nursing professional. These also establish the premises of nursing care and behavior expected from individual nurses from one’s colleagues in order to achieve good and quality health care. These principles are as indicated below (American Nursing Association, 2010):
Nurses and the general nursing staff are required to ensure dignity and care is accorded to every individual in their care. As a result, in order to bring this expectation to fruition, nurses are expected to show compassion and sensitivity to their patients in the course of their work. Also, they are also required to provide care in a manner that promotes equality, irrespective of differences in the patient population.
It is expected that nurses and the nursing staff will take responsibility for their actions and judgment as well as the care they provide. For this reason, they are expected to undertake their duties with utmost care and consideration of governing principles and standards required by the nursing profession. In order to achieve this feat, nurses collaborate with patients and their families. In this way, they can contend with their fulfillment of professional and legal requirements that arise in the course of their work.
The element of risk plays a significant part in professional nursing. For this reason, nurses are expected to reduce the incidence of risk and also manage it effectively. This practice ensures that the safety of both the patient and the nurse is enhanced.
Professional nurses are expected to provide patient-centered care aimed at placing the patient first to ensure the provision of adequate and quality care, one that meets the needs of the patient. In this regard, nurses are expected to involve the patient, their families or caregivers in the decision-making process to ensure they make informed decisions regarding their care and treatment.
Future of Professional Nursing
Nursing as a profession has come a long way and has made considerable grounds in the focus of provision of adequate and quality health care to patients (Institute of Medicine, 2011). With regulatory support the healthcare industry is set to undergo a major overhaul. In this case, as a result of legislation changes such as the Affordable Care Act, the system will make room for an additional insurance coverage for approximately 32 million Americans (Institute of Medicine, 2011). As such, the demand for nurses is set to increase. Even though there is undoubtedly a challenge of ensuring every American is able to have access to quality health care, with dedication and support, commitment to patient care, quality improvement and health promotion, this hurdle will be overcome. In this case, to ensure the standards of affordable and quality health care are achieved, nurses will have to receive adequate training to ensure the needs of the patient population are met.
Conclusion
All in all, the standards established by the pioneer of modern nursing have provided a solid foundation upon which professional nursing practices and principles are based. In this regard, this guideline has been refined in due time. The complex health care system is bound to witness an overhaul of processes due to legislation changes. As such, the nursing profession is to also viewed to follow suit and adapt to the changing environment it will be operating in the future.
References
American Nurses Association. (2010). Nursing: Scope and standards of practice. Silver Spring, Md: American Nurses Association.
Blais, K., & Hayes, J. S. (2014). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives. Boston: Pearson Publishers.
Masters, K. (2014). Role development in professional nursing practice. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
McSherry, R., & Watson, R. (2012). Care in nursing: Principles, values and skills. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
