Professional Development - Essay Example

According to Rosdahl and Kowalski (2008) the nursing profession has its legal metes and bounds and it is a highly regulated profession with appropriate consequences for illegal and unethical practices. As a graduate nurse, it is important for me to master such laws and similar provisions in the practice in order to ensure that my actions in the actual practice are within the legal and ethical bounds (Funnell, Koutoukidis, and Lawrence, 2008). I have noted that there are certain legal provisions in relation to nursing practice that I am not completely familiar with.

In other words, there are gaps in my legal knowledge which need to be filled; more specifically, these gaps pertain to my duties in relation to discharge and rehabilitation of patients, as well as my duties in relation to the administration of certain prescription medicines as ordered by physicians. I also noted how gaps in the application of these laws in the actual practice are seen. I know how these cases have been decided, but they seem to be vague to me in actual application. It is also important for the nurse to consider the ethical principles which are part and parcel of her practice.

These ethical principles are: beneficence, autonomy, non-maleficence, and justice. Beneficence is concerned about doing what would benefit the patient, not what would bring him harm. This is very much related to non-maleficence which emphasizes about doing no harm to a patient. Autonomy is about allowing the patient to make informed decisions about his care. It is about allowing him to make independent decisions. And finally, justice is about giving the patient what is his due, in terms of health services (Borhani, et.al., 2010). 2. Critical thinking and analysis STANDARD: identifies the relevance of research to improving individual/group health outcomes ELEMENT: identifies problems/ issues in nursing practice which may be investigated through research.

I have also assessed that I need to improve my investigation and research skills. In order for me to transition as a Graduate Nurse, I need to establish a more evidence-based approach in my practice. Research is an important means of identifying and investigating issues in practice (Brownson, et.al., 2009). The PICO format is one of the most effective means of investigating issues in practice because the PICO (problem-intervention-comparison-outcome) elements assist in settling appropriate research-based interventions for these issues (Fineout-Overholt, Levin, and Melnyck, 2005).

In my current practice, I realize that I need to expand my knowledge to cover new knowledge and research-based information which can help in the implementation of appropriate care for the patient. In a study by Coghlan and Casey (2010), the authors carried out their study in an attempt to address the nature of the challenges which nursing research often faces. The authors pointed out that in order to face the issues in practice, the nurses’ role as an action researcher must also be emphasized.

This action research strategy can help clear role ambiguity and can balance the political dynamic which often occurs in the nursing practice (Coghlan and Casey, 2010). In effect, I know that by increasing my research, I would be able to improve the resolution of various health issues. The identification of issues must be carried out independently. Traditional education