Nursing Practice: Health Promotion - Term Paper Example

Introduction Nursing profession is crucial aspect of healthcare industry that is intrinsically linked to the healthcare of the ailing people. It provides the essential ingredient of health and medical area that facilitates faster recovery. Nurses, through personal care, compassion and positive attitude, provide the patients with an inner strength to cope with their illnesses and at the same time, ensure that their health related needs are taken care of with efficiently. The leadership initiatives in this area of healthcare are therefore, critical to the welfare of the patients, carer and the medical fraternity. In the contemporary environment of multi-cultural society, the personal philosophy of nurses becomes intrinsic part of broader nursing work culture. My nursing philosophy can be broadly defined as under. 1. Core of Nursing Nursing is defined as health care services that focus on assisting people in maintaining health, avoiding or minimizing disease and disability, restoring wellness, or achieving a peaceful death (Chitty, 2007). Thus, the core of nursing involved dedicated and ethically delivered care to the medically sick persons. Advocacy is also an integral part of nursing perspective and act as facilitator for the community to help integrate persons with the mainstream society especially people who are dyslexic, autistic, have Alzheimer or are otherwise challenged by promoting understanding to their need for physical and emotional support. 2. Focus of Nursing The nursing should be focused towards welfare of the patients implemented through informed choice, understanding and empathy that promotes mutual trust and confidence building with the patients. Nurses represent the high standard of legal, ethical and moral consideration within the precinct of nursing paradigms and are equipped with leadership qualities and empathetic attitude that inspires confidence and promotes better understanding. 3. Personal Vision of Nursing My vision of nursing promotes high standard of patient care through better patient-nurse relationship that is backed by the full trust of patient and his or her carer. Pender et al (2006) have described health promotion as ‘approach based’ thus ensuring that it is individual perspective and positive attitude greatly facilitates recovery. Thus, positive outlook widens the nursing perspective of care. 4. Personal beliefs and values I believe that healthcare imperative have become relative factors and need to be looked from the wider perspective of nurse-patient perspectives. Holistic nursing has increasingly become important in the changing socio-cultural environment and takes into consideration the wider implication of the environment which the patient lives. Social support is important and patients must be empowered to determine the type of social intervention they want and relevant information must be provided by the nurse (Finfgeld-Connett, 2005).Hence, the nursing should not be just confined within the medical precincts but promote physical, mental and social well-being of the person. Long term professional goals (for 5 years) 1. To develop into one of the best nurse advocates of the country. 2. To ensure that innovative and case sensitive approach is developed for patients which cuts across race, culture, color and nationality. Short term professional goals 1. Develop cross cultural understanding to promote trust and relationship building with patients, carer and all stakeholders. 2. Continuous efforts for acquisition of skills and necessary knowledge for the professional growth. Professional development plan for 5 years Baccalaureate prepared nursing degree has made me well equipped to meet the challenges of the current time. I am a highly creative person and my degree has further facilitated and widened my area of knowledge that would greatly help me to apply the informed choices in the manner that befits the needs of the people. Hence, five years hence, I see myself as a highly competent nurse advocate who would be devising ways and means for best nursing care for patients with severe disability and terminal illness. I would like to reach the highest level of professional excellence, both in terms of gaining knowledge and experience and at the same time, gaining appropriate status. My short term objectives are to gain experience in the field and strive to establish a good reputation as person with innovative and progressive approach towards welfare of the society. My focus would be on the empowerment of people from vulnerable segment of society. Hence, efforts would include creation of facilitating platform for the acquisition of skills and necessary knowledge for one’s professional growth. Zapata-Cantu et al. have asserted that professional growth and self improvement, through human resource development practices, greatly enhance organization’s advantage. (Zapata-Cantu et al., 2007). Hence, continuous learning and acquisition of new skills would be intrinsic part of my plans. They help develop a wider perspective towards the issues which helps to apply the informed choices in the manner that befits the needs of the people and the healthcare industry. Hence, proper career planning to develop requisite skills, promotes professional growth that facilitates more efficient and accurate decision making process in the management and administration. The learning organization and performance are two intrinsically linked key ingredients of effective HRD practices (Simmonds and Pedersen, 2006). The leadership within the HRD must realize the need for training and development of the workforce so that they are provided with a wider scope for professional growth in the area of core competencies. They are also responsible for advocating and nurturing a high standard of ethics and quality work while fostering a good relationship amongst them which includes the administrators, management and all stakeholders within the healthcare industry. Hence, peer group and supervisors as mentors greatly facilitate in the learning processes within and outside my work area. Last but not the least important would be the adoption of reflective practices in my personal and professional arenas. Reflective practices are important self assessment criteria for enhancing one’s personal and professional competencies. They help to identify our shortcoming and promote wider understanding of the various methodologies to become more articulate and become familiar with the emerging new paradigms in the social dynamics. The reflective practices also encourage confidence building so that they are better prepared to tackle critical situations and meet the challenges with more conviction and composure. Indeed, looking back at our actions and critically assessing them provides opportunity to improve and improvise the working techniques. In the professional arena, the feedback from peer population and colleagues give important insight into the flaws of the methodologies adopted and give us valuable chance to develop professionally. Thus, reflective practice in my personal and professional life would continuously help me to grow in the fast evolving environment of advancing technology and rapid globalization. Barriers to attainment of goals I believe that lack of effective communication is the most important barrier to attainment of one’s goals. The patient-nurse relationship is highly personal that is backed by the full trust of patient on his or her carer. Therefore, effective communications becomes one of the most crucial aspect of caring. The empathetic attitude and understanding of cross cultural values greatly facilitate in overcoming the language barriers. I would, therefore, strive to understand my patient’s cultural paradigms and learn to communicate in a manner that would promote mutual trust. Conclusion The advocate nursing is sensitive and the nurses need to be highly informed and empowered to deliver the objectives of good facilitator. Ethically correct and morally right decisions are important criteria for nursing paradigms especially when they need to employ informed choices for effective decision making. Ryles (1999) reaffirms that ‘if nursing professionals are to empower their clients, they must first of all empower themselves’. The issues taken up by the advocates or the facilitators have better chance of being understood by a wider audience through techniques like dissemination of information, awareness creation, forging better patient-nurse relationship and looking after the interests of their patient. Hence, shared learning and acquisition of skills throughout the career cycle is vital ingredient of nursing paradigms and need to become intrinsic part of individuals in nursing practice. (1300) Reference Chitty, K Kittrell. (2007). Conceptual and Philosophical Bases of Nursing. Elsevier Inc. University of Phoenix. Finfgeld-Connett D. (2005). Clarification of social support. Image. J Nurs Scholar 37(1):4-9. Pender NJ, Murdaugh C, Parsons MA.. (2006). Health promotion in nursing practice. (ed 5). Upper Saddle River, NJ. Prentice-Hall Health. Simmonds, D. and C. Pedersen (2006). HRD: the shapes and things to come. Journal of Workplace Learning 18 (2). Ryles, S.M. 1999. A concept analysis of empowerment. Journal of Advanced Nursing 29(3), 600-608. Zapata-Cantu, Laura, Olivas-Lujan, R Miguel, Ramirez Jacobo. (2007). e-HRM in Mexico: adapting innovations for global competitiveness. International Journal of Manpower, Vol. 28, No. 5. (2007), pp. 418-434. Read More