Introduction to Nursing Science - Essay Example

? Introduction to Nursing Science and PART A Definition of nursing According to American Association of College of Nursing (2008), nursing refers to collaborative and autonomous care of individuals, groups and families, sick in all settings. Further, it includes prevention of illnesses, promotion of health, caring for ill, disabled and dying people. In my view, nursing involves protection, optimization and promotion of people’s abilities and health. Professional nurse and characteristics Professional nurse refers to an individual who have undergone necessary training to become a nurse. As a challenging profession, dedication is a critical characteristic, and nurses need to be calm in order to handle multiple problems. System thinking is also paramount in order to offer the best care to all patients (Arizona State Board of Nursing, 2003). Another essential characteristic is the ability to offer patient-centered care. This is because every nurse is required to care for patients in every health care system. Last, but not the least is the ability to be religious and ethnic sensitive. Professional nurses care for people from different religions and cultures and should therefore demonstrate the ability to accommodate varied practices while adhering to professional standards. PART B How common stereotypes differ from realities of nursing Stereotype as a cognitive framework refers to traits that are attributed to an entire group of people. According to Alford, et al. (1995), stereotypes are described as ‘pictures in our heads’. Stereotypes in nursing reflect the profession by closing the gap between its colorful image and the reality. The idea of self-sacrifice and philanthropic nature of this profession perpetuates the view that pay is irrelevant since one obtains satisfaction from caring the sick. However, similar to other professions, nurses also deserve remuneration for services rendered. Secondly, the growing number of highly qualified nurses is continually seen as a threat to doctors’ monopoly. Contrary to this belief, the nursing profession has made it clear that both doctors and nurses perform their professional work independently. Two roles that nurses have that the public might not be aware of Nurses work closely with doctors to help prevent medication errors and facilitate a reduction of infection rates. In addition, the health care systems are presently allowing nurses to liaise with administrators to help strike the right balance by providing the best clinical care at controlled cost. More importantly, nurses are now playing a vital role by offering patients health education, a role that was previously carried out by social workers. A role model nursing theorist Florence Nightgale, the founder of modern nursing was dedicated to offering care for sick people. Nightgale’s nursing theory emphasized on the healing properties of the physical environment, that is, light, fresh air, cleanliness and warmth. This theory was based on the relationship nursing had with external influences to suppress and prevent diseases (National League for Nursing, 2010). The goal was to help patients maintain their vitality by controlling the environment. The reason behind choosing Nightgale’s theory of environment is that environment affects health, and it is one of the nurse's goal to providing adequate light, fresh air, cleanliness and warmth to enhance environment in order to facilitate the patient's reparative process. PART C The nature of nurses’ work It is not entirely right to claim that nurses follow doctors’ orders. Even though this has been the saying dating back to early history of this profession, nurses focus more on a humanized aspects of health care. Undeniably, it is true that nurses collaborate with doctors on medical management of patients, but nurses do more than only working on disease path physiology. In this respect, provision of nursing care involves offering therapeutic care, executing health care procedures and techniques among many others. Two responsibilities that nurses have that the public might not be aware of While many people think that the primary role of a professional nurse is to care for a patient, there are other broader roles that encompass the entire community, including educating the public on health issues, increasing access to health care and improving community health and safety as stipulated in Quality and Safety Education in Nursing (QSEN) project. This project sought to empower nurses with skills, knowledge and attributes key in improving safety and quality of health care settings at work places (Alford, et al., 1995). PART D Core values of nursing practice Core values are an integral part of the nursing practice. They include: patient-centered care which emphasizes on focusing on patients. Patients should be considered as partners and therefore, actively involved in delivering care. In this respect, they have the right to be informed by being given a chance to make their independent decisions. The nursing practice should also accommodate interdisciplinary collaboration, which involves mutual respect and cooperation with the rest of the heath care team (American Association of College of Nursing, 1996). Last is professional accountability, which is supported by continued learning and conscientious application of critical thinking in all clinical judgments. As a nurse, I could demonstrate these values by explaining to patients their ailments, and the procedures and treatment deemed appropriate. To enhance effective service delivery, I would also consider gaining more skills by furthering education, conduct in-depth research and employing critical thinking and judgment in the practice. PART E Summary In conclusion, for a person to make a good nurse, dedication, ability to take care of the sick, focused thinking and ability to embrace different ethnic and religious practices are some of the essential characteristics for this profession. Further, despite the popular stereotype that nurses acts on instructions from doctors, the profession has come out clear that besides effecting doctors’ prescriptions, nurses also offer caring and education services to patients. Nevertheless, standards such as collaboration, accountability and patient centered-care have been found critical for growth and development of this profession. Nursing as a classic profession highly relies on effective communication since a nurse constantly communicates with not only patients, but also other members. Therefore, communication is a necessity for effective practice. In addition, being in good working relationship with other medical practitioners is critical for the provision of adequate and safe health care. Therefore, setting a good impression is pertinent for building a strong foundation for any professional practice. PART F References Alford, P. et. al. (1995). Should nurses wear uniforms? Nursing Standard, 9(40), 52-53. American Association of College of Nursing (AACN). (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. Washington, D.C.: Prentice Hall. American Association of College of Nursing (AANC). (1996). The essentials of master’s education for advance practice nursing. Washington, D.C.: Author. Arizona State Board of Nursing (ASBN). (2003). Arizona State Board of Nursing competency model. Retrieved from http://www.azbn.gov/Documents/education/ National League for Nursing. (2010). Outcomes and competencies for graduates of pratical/vocational, diploma, associate degree, baccalaureate, master’s, practice doctorate, and research doctorate programs in nursing. New York, NY: Massachusetts University. Read More