The Basics of Nursing - Essay Example

Nurses may for example, advise people about personal hygiene, which prevents diseases such as typhoid. Nursing to me is an act of taking care of a person in all aspects of life, for example, physical, emotional, and spiritual being. The profession does not discriminate against any group in the society, and it gives equal care to everyone (Mason, Isaac, & Colby, 2011). Professional nursing refers to the practice of taking care of the well being of the society according to the code of ethics. The code of ethics guides nurses when they are executing their duties, for example, the policy requires a nurse to ensure that personal information of a patient remains confidential (Mason, Isaac, & Colby, 2011).

A professional nurse is also required to have certain academic qualifications, which are set by the International Association of Nurses. The characteristics of a professional nurse are stated in the code of ethics, and they include honesty, humility, excellent communication and problem solving skills. Nurses should also be capable of detecting physical and emotional changes in individuals so that they can give them the right care (Sherwood, & Barnsteiner, 2012). Stereotypes about Nursing The public holds certain beliefs about nursing, but these convictions may be inaccurate.

The beliefs are known as stereotypes, and they are common in every profession, therefore, nursing is not an exception. One of the beliefs is that nursing is a career meant for women (Sherwood, & Barnsteiner, 2012). This belief is not true because there are males in the profession. In fact, men represent six percent of the total number of nurses in the world (Mason, Isaac, & Colby, 2011). This percent is minute but, it does not mean that there are no male nurses. The public also believes that nurses represent the group of students who failed to qualify to become doctors in medical schools.

This is also not true because nursing is an autonomous profession. One has to achieve the qualification set by the Nursing Association in order to become a nurse (McGonigle, & Mastrian, 2012). T