Professional Nursing Concepts - Essay Example

Professional Nursing Concepts The nursing profession involves the provision of care for the sick and infirm, and includes the promotion of health; prevention of various illnesses; and care of the ill, disabled, and dying persons. Some of the main responsibilities of nursing health practitioner include the advocacy as well as promotion of safe environments, participation in shaping healthcare policies, and educating the society on appropriate healthcare practices among others. Primarily, the nursing profession involves the protection, promotion, and optimization of healthcare practices, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human ailments, and prevention of illnesses and injuries. The profession also entails the advocacy in the care of persons, families, and communities at large, in terms of healthcare services. The nursing profession is one among the most important components of the medical world. This is because; it enables the training of highly qualified personnel who assist individuals to perform activities, which collectively help to improve the healthcare operations, enhance faster recovery of the patients, and facilitate peaceful death when one has to die. Furthermore, the nursing profession plays a pivotal role in nurturing healthcare practitioners who strive to ensure the best quality of lives possible among patients who suffer from diverse ailments or disabilities. The professionals in nursing have a wide range of medical knowledge with which they use to achieve their objectives, which are essentially, to prevent illnesses and injuries as well as advocating in healthcare for the entire society. The nursing practitioners, who are qualified and registered healthcare providers, perform medical operations to patients at all stages of human life, right from the new-borns to the elderly. The professionals in this medical field do perform a number of important functions including conducting a well-detailed and focused physical examination to patients; diagnosing and treating common and acute illnesses as well as injuries; and providing the appropriate immunizations to the populations. In addition, the Nursing Practitioners have the responsibility to manage various human healthcare complications among them high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and many other health problems that are chronic. (Basford and Slevin 67) Qualified nursing professionals also have the skill to interpret diverse diagnostic tests such as EKGs and X-rays, and medical laboratory tests. They equally have the ability to prescribe relevant and appropriate medications and therapies to patients, perform the required medical procedures, and educate as well as counsel patients on matters to do with living healthy and the appropriate healthcare options that are preferable for diverse medical situations. The Nurse Practitioners are also responsible to managing health problems, and coordinating healthcare practices for the patients in accordance with the State and Federal rules and regulations, as well as the provisions of the World Health Organization through the Nursing Standards of Care. Apparently, the members of the nursing profession have the mandate to perform the perioperative preparations as well as the postoperative clinical management responsibilities. Furthermore, they develop the healthcare and treatment plans for patients and eventually implement them. (Greenwell and Walby 8) All medical facilities require the services of Nursing Practitioners in order to attain their objectives, which are often to provide the best medical services to their patients and the entire society in which they operate. Nursing professionals work as the medical assistants to the specialist doctors in different departments of the medical field. (Brown 25) They work in collaboration with other specialists in the health facilities to save as many lives as possible, provide the appropriate solutions to the diverse health problems presented to the facility, and design the appropriate treatment schemes. Some of the main responsibilities of the Nursing Practitioners in the health facilities include: Ordering and interpreting diagnostic as well as therapeutic tests in relation to the specific medical needs of the patient Prescribing the relevant pharmacological and non-pharmacological modalities of treatment Providing the appropriate assistance in surgical care according to the requirements of the medical facility in question, the state, and the federal regulations of the medical operations Facilitating the transition of the patient within the healthcare setting; among them admitting, transferring, and discharging patients where necessary Providing the appropriate medical education to the patients, families, and the whole society; a factor that enhances the making of well-informed decisions when it comes to issues of healthcare Collaborating with the other medical practitioners to make appropriate referrals for he good of the patients Functioning independently to perform the appropriate medical check-ups for acute, critical, chronically ill perioperative patients Implementing the diverse interventions on the verge to support patients to regain or rather maintain physical stability required of them Monitoring the effectiveness of the interventions, and designing the appropriate changes required to increase their efficiencies The nursing profession being one among the most vital aspects of healthcare operations needs to embrace the diverse changes in its management systems in order to cope with the changes in the medical field. Like any other professional sector, the nursing sector has a well-defined management system with which it runs its activities in order to meet its objectives. However, the constant change in the world of medicine in terms of the bacteria resistance, embracement of technological applications in the medical field, and the diversity in infections has made the nursing profession vulnerable to inefficiencies. With that, it is important that every person in the nursing profession regardless of their positions, education levels, and job experience work to update his or her professional skills for the good of the patients. (Cummings and Love ridge 59) Several techniques are applicable in the embracement of changes in the nursing profession. Some of the major techniques include getting back to the medical schools to upgrade one’s professional skills, conducting comprehensive researches from the appropriate and reliable sources on various operations in the nursing profession, and arranging for employee-training programs within the medical facilities to enhance their efficiency in specific medical operations. Referring to appropriate medical materials whenever one is not sure of a certain nursing procedure, is equally a technique with which Nursing Practitioner can enhance efficiency in his or her service delivery, more so, in cases where new or recurrent infections are involved. The management of any medical facility ought to realize that patients are the main reason for the existence of any medical profession including the nursing profession. With that, they have to employ the various operational techniques that will ensure maximum satisfaction of the patients in their operations. Even though death is inevitable to all human beings, it is the responsibility of all Nursing Practitioners and the entire team of medical specialists to preserve and lengthen lives through preventing, treating, and minimizing the effects of infections in the bodies of patients. This demands that the healthcare providers, including the Nursing Practitioners, have to provide patient-centred care to the general society. Their focus has to be on the lives and satisfaction of the patients, their families, and close associates in the way their deliver their medical services. A medical facility whose management team values the interests of the patients is bound to offer the best services to its clients (Finkelman and Kenner 33) Such a facility will ensure it employs highly qualified, competent, and passionate Nursing Practitioners who will give the very best medical services to the patients. It will also purchase the best medical equipment, especially the medical laboratory machineries that are modern and effective. This equipment will ensure an accurate examination of the specific illnesses a patient is suffering from. It is common knowledge that an accurate identification of a particular infection a patient is suffering from is the most reliable platform from where to start the medication. However, many of the infections are only confirmable after performing various laboratory tests, which are appropriate for the presented symptoms. Therefore, any medical facility that has the interest of the patients at heart will ensure it has the necessary equipment with which to assess the specific infections a patient may be suffering from. In addition, technological applications are among the main applications all medical facilities ought to embrace on the verge to enhance efficiency in their operations. It is a requirement that all medical practitioners among them nursing professionals be conversant with the diverse technological applications, especially computing knowledge, to enhance their operational efficiency. They should know how to communicate using the technological systems such as mailing, faxing, sending memos, and many more. These would enable faster, easier, and cheaper communication within the medical facility. Moreover, modern medical facilities should keep all the medical information of their patients in their computer databases. This subsequently facilitates safer storage of patient’s information for a very long time, a factor that enables an easy access of the medical history of many patients. The employment of computer technology in the medical applications also enables easy search of the information of any patient within the facility. Hence, it is an important management change, which all medical facilities in today’s ‘digitalized society’ should embrace (Masters 19) Another change in the management of Nursing Profession is the application of the diverse quality improvement techniques in the service delivery of the Nursing Practitioners. It is indisputable that human life is sacred, and irreplaceable once lost. This implies that all medical practitioners need to be smart, competent, sure, and accurate in all the medical procedures that undertake to their esteemed patients. No trial and error games should be played on human lives, and this gets down to the competency, passion, experience, and motivation of the medical practitioners in their work. As a result, the management teams of all medical facilities should confirm the qualifications and competencies of all the Nursing Practitioners they employ, and proceed to maintain tem in the facility. Maintaining a performing Nursing Practitioner in a given medical facility involves a number of management practices such as issuance of wage packages that are appropriate to their services, giving of salary increments and promotions to the high performers in the firm without biasness whatsoever, and giving the employees equal opportunities to further their studies. Other quality improvement techniques in the management of Nursing Profession include the embracement of employee-training programs. The world of medicine is very wide, and nobody can master all of it. This calls for the need to constantly, engage the Nursing Practitioners in a given medical facility, into regular professional trainings by specialists in different sectors of the medical field. These trainings work to update the professional skills of the Nursing Practitioners, and teaching them on the procedures of handling new, recurrent, and resistant infections. Based on that, it gives them the confidence to handle any infections that may arise, and the necessary professional techniques with which to ensure maximum efficiency in the delivery of medical services to the patients. Another change in the management of Nursing Profession is the encouragement of the use of evidence-based medical practices. With human medicine dealing with the most valuable aspect of humanity, that is, life, accuracy is paramount. Although no man is immune to mistakes, the medical practitioners, including the Nursing Personnel should always work to demonstrate perfection in their operations. Recklessness and negligence are unacceptable, and punishable by law in the world of medicine. Thus, all Nurse Practitioners and other medical specialists should ensure they conduct their operations based on the evidence they have rather than the prospects and assumptions. Evidence-based medical practices involve the clerking of patients, identifying a number of infections the patients is likely to have, and proceeding to confirm whether the diagnosis is correct or not, often in the medical laboratory. It is only through the examination of the appropriate samples of blood, urine, or stool of the patient in a well-equipped medical laboratory that guarantees evidence-based medical practices. It is mandatory that all healthcare providers confirm the presence of the particular disease-causing bacteria in one’s body systems before resolving at fighting them. This is significant because it helps to control situations where the patient is misdiagnosed. Wrong diagnosis of a patient is a serious medical malpractice, and may lead further health complications, especially when a patient is issued with drugs for a disease he or she is not suffering from. Therefore, the use of medical laboratories to confirm specific infections in the body of the patient is a change in the management of the Nursing Profession, and ensures high levels of efficiency in service-delivery. The nursing profession has a number of theories that explains its practices. A theory is a set of interrelated concepts, which provide a systematic view of an observable fact or event, or, rather phenomenon, and is often predictive and explanatory in nature. Usually, theories comprises of concepts, which are based on assumptions. Several nursing professionals did develop the diverse theories, which are creative and rigorous ideas that project tentative, objective, and systematic view of certain medical practices. The nursing theories help in the organization of relationships among the concepts outlined in order to describe, explain, predict, and control certain medical practices. The nursing theories are of enormous significance in the world of medicine. Some of the most notable importance of nursing theories includes: They aim at describing, predicting and explaining and predicting the facts and events of the nursing profession They forms the foundation or rather basis of nursing practices by facilitating the development of further knowledge, which consequently indicates the appropriate direction the nursing profession ought to take in order to enhance efficiency in the future They help all persons in the medical field, especially in the nursing profession, to identify what they know against what they need to know (Rodgers 103) They help in distinguishing what needs to form the basis of practice through an explicit description of the nursing profession, and all the practices involved in it They explain the benefits of having a well-defined or rather comprehensive body of theories in nursing profession, which includes such practices as better patient care, enhanced professional status for Nurse Practitioners, improved communication systems between nursing professionals, and appropriate guidance for research and education in nursing (Roussel, Swansburg and Swansburg 91) They analyse and explain the specific responsibilities of the Nursing Practitioners The nursing theories arise from, and then influenced by the commonly applicable processes in the medical field. They often contain interrelated concepts that are organized to create diverse ways of looking at particular phenomena within the medical sector, especially in relation to the nursing profession. Essentially, all the nursing theories are logical, generalizable, and base on hypotheses that can testable or examinable through scientific procedures. These theories also help in increasing the general body of knowledge within the discipline through the research, which aims at validating them. Primarily, the Nursing Practitioners use these nursing theories to guide and improve different practices in the nursing profession, as they (theories) are consistent with the laws and principles of nursing; although they often leave open unanswered questions, which are only answerable on extensive investigation by professionals. Some of the notable nursing theories include: The Florence Nightingales’ Environmental Theory of Nursing- this theory defines nursing profession as the act of utilizing the environment of a particular patient to assists him or her in recovering faster. The theory further elaborates on how changing and manipulating the environment on the verge to put a patient in the best possible conditions for nature work to enhance his or her faster recovery. The theory also identifies an appropriate environment, which includes fresh air, pure water, efficient drainage, sanitation or rather cleanliness, and access to light or direct sunlight, as being important factors for the healing of a patient. According to Florence Nightingales’ environmental theory of nursing, a patient who is in a favourable environment that has a constant and adequate supply of clean water, has well-ventilated rooms, and is free from noise and unnecessary destruction is bound to recover faster from his or her ailments. On the other hand, an environment, which is unfavourable, that is, ha a deficiency in the above-mentioned environmental factors worsens the illness. The Hildegard Peprau’s Interpersonal Relations Theory of Nursing- this theory of nursing describes the nursing profession as an interpersonal process of therapeutic interactions between a people who is ill or in need of healthcare services, and a Nursing Practitioner who has the professional skill to recognize and respond to the needs of the ill persons. The theory goes ahead to identify the four phases of a nurse-patient relationship. These are The orientation phase: this phase involve the identification of the problem of the patient to the responsible Nursing Practitioner, and comes after the patient and/or his or her family realizes they need the services of a medical practitioner and make a step to seek for professional assistance from the nurse, who is often a stranger to them. The identification phase: this phase is where the patient starts to develop a feeling of belonging, and eventually the confidence to handle the problem or medical challenge he or she is facing. The phase also involves the creation of an optimistic attitude among the patients, as they develop an inner strength and belief that they will certainly be well. It is in this phase that the Nursing Practitioner choses on the appropriate professional assistance that will best suit the needs of the patient (Timofeeva 61) The exploration phase: here, the Nursing Practitioner employs the professional communication techniques to deliver services to the patient. The patient has the responsibility to take advantage of all the services offered to him or her by the medical professional (Risjord 6) The resolution phase: this is the fourth and the final phase of patient-nurse relationship, and occurs when the needs of the patient are met through a collaborative effort between him or her and the Nursing Practitioner. It is in this phase where the therapeutic relationship end and the temporary links between the patient and the nurse dissolved. This theory of nursing (The Hildegard Peprau’s Interpersonal Relations Theory of Nursing) explains comprehensively on how much impact the interpersonal relationship between a patient and the medical professional, in this case, a Nursing Practitioner, creates in the healing process. Many a times, it happens that who are in need healthcare services, especially those who need psychological or counselling services, feel relieved the moment they come to interaction with the specialists. Just a productive relationship between the two is often enough to bring a change in one’s health status, and brings a feeling of relief to the patient. (O'Lynn 45) The Faye Glenn Abdellah’s Theory of 21 Nursing Problem- this theory of nursing provides that the nursing practices are subjects to 21 broad groups, which represent 21 problem areas that work to guide healthcare and simultaneously promote the ability of nursing judgment. According to Abdellah, nursing is a comprehensive service that bases on the art and science, which targets to help people of both, the sick and well divides, to cope with their healthcare needs. (Dunn and Griggs 13) These 21 problem areas include: The Maintenance of good hygiene The promotion of optimal activities, which include adequate exercise, rest, and sleep The promotion of safety The maintenance of appropriate body mechanics The facilitation and maintenance of nutrition The facilitation and maintenance of oxygen supply The facilitation and maintenance of elimination The facilitation and maintenance of an appropriate fluid and electrolyte balance The recognition of the physiological responses of the body to disease pathogens The facilitation and maintenance of regulatory mechanisms and functions The facilitation of the maintenance of the sensory functions The identification and acceptance of both, the positive and negative expressions, feelings and reactions The identification and acceptance of the interrelatedness of emotions and illness The facilitation and maintenance of effective verbal and non-verbal communication The promotion and development of productive interpersonal relationships The facilitation of the progress towards achieving personal spiritual goals The creation and maintenance of appropriate therapeutic environment The facilitation of self-awareness as an individual with varied needs The enhancement of the acceptance of the optimum possible goals The usage of community resources as an aid in the resolution of problems arising from healthcare challenges The understanding of the role of social problems as influencing factors The nursing profession involves several competencies. Nursing competency refers to an expected level of objective performance, which comes about due to an integration of knowledge, skills, and personal abilities as well as characteristics, in the delivery of healthcare services by a Nursing Practitioner. Hence, the Nursing Professionals who demonstrate high levels of competence do perform their medical practices in levels that are acceptable by the facility they operate from, the state, and the Word Health Organization. The purposeful performances in the nursing profession includes the integration of professional or educational knowledge, skills, and personal abilities, which occur in both, the formal and informal learning experiences, in order to enhance efficiency in the nursing practices. Furthermore, it is evident that the nursing profession requires that the healthcare practitioner have a comprehensive knowledge in all the pertinent information among them the scope of practice, the expected standards of practice, the required standards of professional performances, and the practice experience. (Davis and Tschudin 16) The members of the public have a right to expect and eventually demand for competence in the performance of all registered Nursing Practitioners throughout their professional careers. The World Health Organization provides that any registered Nursing Practitioner is responsible as well as accountable for maintaining his or her professional competence, at an individual level. It further requires that the any Nursing Professional be responsible for shaping and guiding all the processes that ensure professional competence in the nursing profession. In addition, the Medical Services Regulatory Agencies do define the minimum standards with which to control the nursing practices with aims to protect the public against medical malpractices. (Cohen 97) However, it not solely the responsibility of the Nursing Practitioners to ensure competence in the nursing practices. They employers, or rather the owners of the medical facilities at both, the public and private levels, have a role to play in ensuring professional competence in the delivery of healthcare services to the patients. They are responsible as well as accountable to ensure the provision of a favourable environment from where to perform competent professional nursing practices. With that, it becomes undeniable that the assurance of competence in the nursing practices is requires a collective effort from the professional Nursing Practitioners, the certification entities of professional nurses, the medical services regulatory agencies, and the employers among many other important stakeholders in the field of medical services (Vallano 10) The nursing profession, whose main operations revolve on human body, requires high levels of competency. All stakeholders in the field of medical services ought to take all the necessary precautions to ensure competence in the nursing practices. The medical services regulatory agencies and the ruling governments through the appropriate departments should play a major role in the fight against nursing incompetence, a factor that subjects many of the patients to the risk of falling victims of medical malpractices. Over time, the list of the required competencies in the nursing profession has continued to grow, especially because the nursing profession is constantly moving towards the evidence-based nursing practices. Furthermore, advancement in the medical technology is equally a factor that has contributed enormously in enhancing competence within the nursing profession. (Barker 39) In order to demonstrate the required levels of competence in the delivery of healthcare services within the nursing profession require that one have extensive knowledge in a wide range of sectors among them: The general and speciality nursing education and knowledge The patient-centred care modalities The nursing professional roles Leadership The system-based practices The medical technological applications as well as the skill in Information Communication and Technology (ICT) Effective communication systems and skills Teamwork and collaboration at workplaces Safety and cautiousness in the delivery of nursing services to the patients Quality improvement practices The evidence-based nursing practices And the adherence to the requirements of the professional nursing standards together with the rules and regulations set by the specific medical facilities and the state in which they operate In conclusion, the nursing profession is one among the most important professions in the medical sector. It entails about two-thirds of all the medical practitioners in all facilities throughout the world. Essentially, the Nursing Practitioners are backbone of all medical facilities, as they perform about 75% of the medical operations in healthcare centres. The Nursing Profession is equally on high demand in the employment markets globally. This is because; it is almost impractical to achieve a recommended nurse-to-patient ration as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). In many countries across the world, the ratio between the Nursing Practitioners and the patient is wanting. This is very dangerous as it affects the quality of medical services delivered to patients. With an extremely high nurse to patient ratio, especially among the African and Asian continents, the Nursing Practitioners are overladen. They have too many patients awaiting their services at ago, a factor that consequently leads to poor services in nursing practices; hence, lack of professional competency (Alligood 107) The nursing profession also requires that the practitioners in this field demonstrate high levels of cautiousness, competence, and accuracy in the operations. It is a known fact that the key objective for any medication practitioner is to try to save as many lives as possible. At the same time, it is a given that all communities of the world, regardless of their religious beliefs and cultural practice, respect and value human life. They consider life to be sacred, and that which should not be taken by anyone at any cost. As a result, the Nursing Practitioners have to be extremely careful in their operations to ensure they do not deliberately destroy any life. Due to that, the medical services regulatory agencies in collaboration with the relevant government departs as well as the judiciary have laid down rules that govern all the medical operations including nursing practices. These rules and regulations provide that all Nursing Practitioners are responsible for their actions, and any form of confirmed medical malpractices on their part is punishable by law. This subsequently enhances the commitment of all the nursing practitioners to the delivery of the very best services to the patients in order to evade the legal action that may arise from negligence in their practices. This certainly works for the good of the public. (Abel-Smith 24) However, ensuring competence in the Nursing Practices is a detailed operation and requires from a wide range of stakeholders. Many specialists in the medical field, at their various capacities, have to join hands in efforts to ensure competence in nursing operations. 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Your Career in Nursing: Manage Your Future in the Changing World of Healthcare. New York City, U.S.: Kaplan Publishing. 2008. Print. Read More