The Power to Make a Difference - Essay Example

"The Power to Make a Difference" is a good example of a paper on care.
Empowered nurses approach their patients’ conditions in a manner that promotes quality of care the patients receive. They use individualized therapeutic communication, which allows the patients to relate with the nurses at a closer level and therefore express their interests. Use of solution-focused sessions also enhances patients’ ability to speak up, thus advocating for particular issues concerning their health status. This approach tends to elicit solutions, instead of exploring the patients’ problems as it focuses on the future goals of the patient. In addition, the nurse does not take the position of an expert in this approach, but collaborates with the patient in seeking positive changes and therefore offering the patient an opportunity for advocacy, leading to better patient outcomes (Smith, & Kirkpatrick, 2013). Further, the informal setting allows the patients, who blame themselves for their poor health, to speak their minds, thus enhancing the support they get to make them live a positive life.

Description of institutional and professional constraints to the empowerment of nurses

According to Dolphin (2013), most nurses fail to exercise reflective thinking in their practice. Reflecting on the occurrences of the nursing profession helps nurses to gain critical skills as the process heightens their self-awareness, which boosts the standard of care they give to future patients. Therefore, dismissing this practice hinders the empowerment of nurses, as they do not acquire some of the important skills that boost their professionalism.

The manner in which health institutions are governed also contributes to the empowerment of nurses. Institutions that do not involve nurses in the decision-making processes inhibit the empowerment of the nurses. This follows the lack of participation, which prevents them from discussing matters that have negative effects on their performance. The absence or inefficiency of strong teamwork also hinders the empowerment of nurses, given that teams allow nurses to share critical information, as well as make it easier to offer quality care to patients. Ethical and legal constraints within the profession also limit nurses’ interactions with patients for the empowerment.  

Role of transcultural and spiritual issues in empowerment

Different patients have different cultural backgrounds, which also hold varying spiritual beliefs and values. However, despite the different aspects, spirituality forms a central role in the life of human beings, and cannot be ignored. Additionally, nurses have the responsibility of providing holistic care to their patients, which heightens the inclusion of spirituality in health care. Therefore, nurses with a high degree of spiritual intelligence tend to be more empowered, compared to nurses with a low degree of spiritual intelligence (Ke-Ping & Xin-Juan, 2009). This follows the ability of the spiritually equipped nurses to relate well with the patients as they encourage them spiritually, depending on their cultural background. This means that nurses ought to undertake courses that expose them to different religions and cultures, to help them offer holistic care to patients.

Feelings about empowerment at the place of employment or clinical sites

The ability to participate in the decision-making process in various clinical sites makes me feel empowered in my profession. Such opportunities provide me with an opportunity to express what I feel should be done differently in the sites. The implementation of such recommendations also promotes the degree of responsibility that I feel towards my obligations. This empowers me as I get motivated to seek the best for the patients. I also appreciate the reflections that I have after encounters with patients. These help me learn what I would have done differently, thus sharpening my skills. Being part of a responsible team also empowers me as I get to learn from my team members, and enjoy the ability of the team to simplify complex tasks.