What is Nursing Entails - Essay Example

NURSING By + of Introduction Nursing entails the promotion, protection and optimization of health carethrough prevention of injury, illnesses, and diagnosis of various infections. It also involves advocacy in health care for individuals, communities, and populations. It is the care of people of all ages, either healthy or unwell. This paper discusses nursing under three themes: beliefs and values, professional and ethical nursing, person-focused nursing, and contemporary issues in nursing. Based on my experience in my role as a placement nurse, I will give a definition of nursing and its core values and will also highlight on frameworks and meta-paradigms for nursing, among other beliefs and values. Under professional and ethical nursing, the NMC code and nursing accountability is discussed among other issues. The paper also highlights on the personal, social and political context of nursing among other important aspects that have helped to shape nursing as a profession. I will draw on practical experiences in the past to elaborate what others have said about nursing in literature. Discussion Nursing is among the most demanding professions. It entails both promotion and protection of the health needs of individuals, families, and communities (Basford, & Oliver, 2003). Since the natural environment is one of the leading causes of infections, nursing also entails protection and management of the natural environment (American Holistic Nurses Association, & Noreen, 2000). Nurses are community and social workers whose principal role is to eliminate illnesses by promoting good health. This entails good nutrition and hygiene. In general terms, nursing roles require the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infections. The four core values in nursing include caring, integrity, diversity, and excellence (Black, & Kay, 2014.). These values are important to ensure that patient care is professional and yields excellent results. Meta-paradigm for nurses is a conceptual framework that involves the client (patients), the environment, nursing and the environment (Dossey, & Lynn, 2009. The client is the recipient of care while the environment entails the internal and external factors surrounding patient care. Health is the client’s degree of wellness while nursing includes the attributes, actions and characteristics of the individual nurse providing care to the client (Butts, & Karen, 2013. The four nursing frameworks work hand in hand to enhance service delivery in the nursing profession. Based on my role as a student nurse and a placement nurse, my experience gave me different personal views of nursing. I understood nursing as a profession that entails sacrifice and passion for patient care. Even in conditions that seem to hamper care delivery, nurses are expected to be critical and creative thinkers and be able to devise solutions and mechanisms to save individuals and societies from ill health (Cody, 2011). Nursing is also both practical-based and theory-based, unlike many other professions. As a nurse on placement, I was expected to have a clear and thoughtful understanding of all the theoretical concepts, facts, principles and procedures surrounding any practical activity. Having such knowledge is important because it triggers creativity and criticality of thought (Callara, 2008). Even if one procedure failed, the nurse can apply the theoretical principles of the method to make use of another care proceedings. On the other hand, the public image of nursing is quite different. The society expects nurses to know everything about human body. Any error in treatment may lead to the conviction of malpractice. This is one of the most dominant causes of medical malpractice in courts of law throughout the history of nursing. Nursing is a professional practice that is registered with the Department of health. It is among the oldest professions in history (Hamric, Charlene, Mary, & Eileen, 2014). The role of nurses was historically carried out by mothers and medicine men in homes before it was recognized with the establishment of hospitals and other health care centers. Over the years, the profession has expanded and diversified to involve not only patient care, but also initiatives to enhance the lives of individuals and communities. For instance, environmental and gender protection have also been included in the field of nursing (Fowler, 2008). For this reason, nurses are expected to act professionally and demonstrate a high level of ethical practice. Nurses are expected to act professionally and in an ethical manner that shows their value for human life. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) lays down the code of conduct, ethics and performance of nurses and midwives (Fry, Robert, & Carol, 2011). The primary goal of NMC is to safeguard the health and well-being of patients. Nurses are required to deliver high-quality care at all levels of practice. The NMC also requires that nurses continually update and upgrade their skills and uphold the standards of the professional code of conduct (Funnell, Gabrielle, Karen, & Tabbner, 2008). The council also sets out investigative processes to investigate nurses who have allegedly breached the code of conduct. In one of the professional code of conduct requirements, nurses and midwives must ensure that the patients can trust them with their health. This is guaranteed by making the care of patients the first priority and concern by treating them with dignity. The code of confidence is also guaranteed by ensuring that nurses provide high-quality care at all times (Hitchcock, Phyllis, & Sue, 2003). This is made possible by being honest, acting with integrity and upholding the reputation of the profession. Nurses are also required to respect the confidentiality of their patients. Patients must be informed why and how sharing of information with the nurse is necessary (Jeffreys, 2012). The nurse must also ensure that the information shared is only meant for treatment purposes and not any other purpose whatsoever. Confidential information may only be disclosed if the patient is at risk of harm. As a nurse, I am also expected to collaborate with those in my area of expertise on issues that help to improve patient care (Hopp, & Rittenmeyer, 2012. Moreover, as I came to learn from my placement as a student nurse, the profession requires one to gain consent before initiation of patient care. Quality care delivery is based on the principles and approach of evidence-based practice for making decisions and implementing them in patient care (Masters, 2005). As a nurse, I am required to remain updated on the most recent research studies and findings on health care and nursing practice. This involves the implementation of up-to-date methods and techniques in care delivery. The goal of this approach is to improve the quality of patient health. Quality service delivery in nursing also entails protection of the vulnerable. Nurses have the right and duty to ensure that children, the disabled, among other vulnerable groups are protected and are treated with care and dignity (Lachman, 2006). Nurses also create community awareness on the care of vulnerable groups. The virtues and values of the contemporary nursing practice also require nurses to remain relevant in current issues such as the occurrence of disasters and other misfortunes that negatively impact on individual and community health (Malka, 2007). A nurse is required to be a good communicator in order to actually solve issues between them and the patients. This includes understanding and respecting the beliefs and values of the patients. Nurses must understand that different cultural beliefs and practices have a different expectation for good health and ethical practice. Therefore, nurses need to be person-focused in order to understand their patients better. Person-centered care in nursing focuses on the personal needs, desires, wants and goals of the individual. After understanding these values, the nurse then ensures that they become the central aspect of care (Lundy, & Sharyn, 2009. This implies that the patients’ needs should be considered as the patient puts them and not based on how the nurse wants them to be. In some cases, the nurse may have certain prioritized modes of practice. However, their application depends on patient consent. As a nurse, one is expected to express a keen interest in the patient’s health experience, injury, illness, or need (Stanhope, & Jeanette, 2014. It implies that the nurse has to work with the description of the situation/illness as is defined by the patient. As a student nurse on placement, I ensured delivery of person-centered care by: Being responsive to patient needs, and the professional requirements established in the nursing code of ethics Understanding the patient as an individual and responding to his or her individual needs Providing meaningful and quality care following patient’s consent Respecting the values, needs and preferences of the patient Fostering trust among the patients Allowing patients the freedom of choice in making decisions and choosing treatment options Promoting emotional and physical comfort of patients and the nursing staff Involving the relatives and friends of the client. This is helpful in ensuring that everyone comes into agreement with the best treatment option to be adopted (Roussel, Richard, & Russell, 2006). The person-centered approach is critical in the delivery of quality care because it takes patients as individuals. For instance, two patients may be suffering from the same condition but would require different approaches based on their personal values, culture, and religion, among others. The person-centered approach helps to avoid generalized care where nurses only adhere to the required scientific procedure on all patients. Not all patients would cooperate the same way; better still, others may need to be convinced in order to understand and accept a particular treatment option to be used on them (Rosdahl, & Mary, 2008). In order to attain care that is person-centered, nurses need to understand the medical history and bibliography of the patients and their families. Paying attention to personal stories and life experiences of the patient is the best way to have a better understanding of the patient and be able to deliberate quality care (Robinson, & Alyson, 2000). Attainment of this is sometimes challenging because it takes time to listen and talk before initiating the treatment process. However, chances of disagreement between the patient and the nurse are maximally reduced. The focus is also challenged by many hospital environments whose primary goal is to have the job done (treatment) and not taking enough time to understand the patient (Yeo, Anne, & Jean, 2002). I took it as my individual responsibility to know the patient by initiating a close relationship and advising as necessary in order to assure coordination of the client in the process of care delivery. In order to guarantee a good patient relations and better-working terms, the nurse must also be proficient with contemporary issues in the field of practice (Tilley, 2008). Nursing is the major part on which the society grows and continues to evolve. It is a valued profession in all aspects of the society, including social, economic, and political dimensions. In every part of the world, nursing plays a significant role in leadership and guidance on public and policy issues (Young, & Barbara, 2006). This includes delivery, organization and coordination of the quality of health care. The contemporary society is marred with increased costs of health care, which nurses play a significant role in finding its solution. The enhancement and provision of good health to the public is also a socio-political concern. A society, that is politically developed, must put into consideration the health needs of its people. The same role extends to expansion of health care revenues and resources as well as the regulation of health care policy (Zerwekh, & Ashley, 2014). Politicians rely on the role of nurses to guarantee quality health care to all community members. Nursing also plays a significant role in the enhancement of the social well-being of the community (Young, & Barbara, 2006). This is by ensuring that everyone leads a healthy lifestyle, and the environment is protected from all forms of harm that may impact on the health of the society. Nevertheless, nursing has faced by a number of challenges aligned with the political factors. Despite the urgency associated with patient care, political governments have failed to provide nurses with the necessary resources to aid in care delivery. This has led to a situation whereby nurses have the necessary theoretical and practical skills but lack the tools to implement the skills. There is also the crisis of hospital staffing. The number of patients demanding urgent care has increased while the number of nurses has not registered a similar growth trend. This has led to change of roles and double tasking in nursing leading to poor quality of health care. The staffing crisis has raised concern in many countries based on the increasing rate of occurrence of disasters and emergency situations (Zerwekh, & Ashley, 2014). There is also the problem of nurses not being able to meet the expectation of patients. This is based on an increasing level of literacy leading to a class society. Moreover, following the growing level of globalization, nurses have found themselves in regions and countries with different cultural and religious beliefs. This has led to the lack of respect for the practitioner and the patient based on cultural disagreements. Some nurses do not find it important to take time understanding the cultural values of the patient, a factor that has led to treatment without consent and filing of unending malpractice cases. Conclusion Nursing opportunities are now on the increase following the aforementioned shortage. The situation is evident not only in the UK but also worldwide. In the meantime, many nurses are traveling abroad in search of greener pastures in the industry. The latter has been one of the major factors leading to nurse-patient cultural and social disagreements. For instance, a nurse brought up and trained in the United Kingdom would have difficulties attending to patients in the Middle East and other Islamic countries. 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