Nursing is a career for individuals that have a strong desire to help others, a passion for excellence, and a commitment to do what they can to work within a team environment to better the lives of the patient for which they care. It is an ever changing profession that needs people who are committed to be focused and willing to constantly be willing to learn and continue their education. A good nurse is one who strives to learn something new every day that one is on the job. As the nursing field continues to change and the demand for well-educated and professionally licensed registered nurses grows, especially for those who have also earned their bachelor of science in nursing degrees.
There are four core concepts practiced in the nursing field: beliefs, professional roles, knowledge, and caring. When these four concepts are carried out in an efficient and effective manner, a nurse is able to demonstrate the professionalism that is needed to excel in the field. Nursing can be a rewarding career, one in which a nurse, who earns a license for a lifetime of practice, in which there are endless opportunities for growth, specialization, and the ability to make the difference in the lives of countless numbers of people. In return, a nurse receives the opportunity to build and maintain relationships, constantly learn valuable skills, and know that one has indeed improved the world each and every day.
The core concept of belief focuses on the value of an earned bachelor of science in nursing degree. Although not needed to practice as a registered nurse, this further education is able to allow a nurse to expand upon the field of previous knowledge, learn more skills, and become more competent in his or her profession. A good nurse always wants to learn more so that the best quality of care can be given to one’s patients. A bachelor’s degree can also assist a nurse in becoming more active in the legislative process, health care policy, the fiscal policies within the health care industry, clinical prevention, and the general health of the population.
The professional roles of nurses have become more demanding over the past decade and will continue to do so in the future. Part of being a professional when practicing nursing is to ensure that at all times the code of ethics is being followed. This code should never be violated under any circumstances. This essential standard should be practiced at all times for the safety of the patients and the protection of the nurses. It is this code that is one of the reasons that the public trusts nurses to keep them safe (Eisler, 2011).
Nurses are role models not only for future nurses but for the medical profession. As John Quincy Adams said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” . One of the many ways in which this can successfully be accomplished both in and out of the hospital is through the work that dedicated nursing professional do when advocating not only for the rights of patients and coworkers but for all citizens, such as the need for affordable healthcare. This would be only one example in which a nurse’s professional role is demonstrated in one’s interest in politics and through the following of legislation and the policies and procedures that affect all people in the nation.
Another area in which nurses are able to show their professionalism is through their evidence-based practices that are demonstrated every day at work. Their positive attitudes and willing to take constructive criticism are two of the ways in which they are able to improve their skills and become better as professionals. Dedicated and professional nurses are able to work effectively as a part of an inter-professional team and be willing to make suggestions but stand back if someone else is able to bring a more appropriate response to the table. Knowing when to advocate for one’s patient yet when to yield is a highly specialized but important skill for a nurse to develop. A professional also knows that one needs to care for oneself. It is important to take time for self-care, including physical, mental, and social periods of rest.
Physiological and psychological principals need to be integrated into plans of care for patients whether they have common acute or chronic illness. The theoretical knowledge necessary to incorporate backgrounds from the liberal arts, sciences, and nursing education programs are needs to make the necessary analysis to do this well. This is the basis for the core concept of knowing, or knowledge. A nurse’s ability to conduct research, when necessary, is one of the roles that are becoming more common each year, although it was unheard of only a decade or so ago. This is one of the reasons that better educated nurses are needed, relied upon, and will be sought after in the future. As the population ages, some diagnosis will become increasingly complex, multiple diagnoses will be more common, and research skills will continue to become increasingly in demand. The new technologies that are constantly available also require nurses to be willing and able to learn new skills, become familiar with new equipment, and be able to teach others while being able to use it under highly stressful situations. This is just one of many areas where nursing is becoming increasingly complex and registered nurses who have earned their BSNs will be the expected leaders in their field.
The core value of caring is the one in which the patients may rely most for their comfort when receiving care. Nurses are the care givers who have the ability to develop relationships with the care recipients in the healthcare industry. This is a long-standing continuum of mutually agreed outcomes that is an expected standard in the field. The nurse has an essential role in the healing process. By remaining calm, even when under great stress and pressure, a nurse can give a patient great comfort. By demonstrating compassion for a patient, it has been demonstrated that it is a valuable process where patients are motivated to cooperate with the directions that they have received to improve their health, at least while in the hospital setting, to achieve a positive outcome of care (van der Cingel, 2011). Part of this compassion is demonstrated through the nurses’ willingness to actively listen to the patients’ requests, concerns, fears, and questions. By being willing to fulfill the requests that can be fulfilled, address the concerns that they are able to do and provide information when they cannot, calm their fears either through answers or by providing information, and answering questions, patients feel more empowered, calmer, and feel as though there is someone on the hospital staff that does truly care about them, their situation, and their needs.
When a nurse is able to communicate with patients by demonstrating great knowledge, but speak in a manner in which the patient is able to understand, it also gives the patient knowledge that the patient’s cares and concerns are not only being heard, understood, and met, but also that they are being done so by a professional health care worker that is educated, competent, and concerned for the welfare of the patient. Another area of care for nurses is in their ability to be objective in their decisions. There are relationships made, but those cannot come into play when making treatment decisions. This is art of professionalism but also demonstrating care for the patient in providing the best outcome of care for the patient.
Nurses today are well-educated, competent professionals. As a registered nurse who has worked full-time while returning to school to earn my Bachelor of Science degree in nursing, one has found it to be challenging, yet learning more about the field in which one works has been rewarding. Gaining knowledge and understanding while constantly learning about the latest developments in their field is essential for professionals to do, and nurses need to continue their educations, as the field constantly changes as advancements are made. Being a registered nurse is not something one does just for today and tomorrow, but for the rest of one’s life. As Mother Teresa said, “It is not how much you do but how much love you put in the doing.”
SPRING
References
Eisler, K. (2011). Accountability and professionalism. SRNA Newsbulletin, 13(2), 4.
Nursing Schools. (2010, June 14). Retrieved from 100 Entertaining & Inspiring Quotes for Nurses: http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2010/06/100-entertaining-inspiring-quotes-for-nurses/
Van der Cingel, d. C. (2011). Compassion in care: A qualitative study of older people with a chronic disease and nurses. Nursing Ethics, 18(5), 672-85.
doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0969733011403556
