Competency and Code of Ethics in the Nursing Profession - Essay Example

University Name Department REFLECTIVE ESSAY Student name & Admission number Date of Submission INTRODUCTION The means to a flourishing professional plan and development revolves around the periodic evaluation and review of the plan in relation to changes in individual’s interests, the profession, the course being studied for and field of employment (ANMF, 2013)). Reaching the point where you know what you want to achieve in your career can take time so personal initial plans will probably be reworked several times. The important thing is to take your strategy as far as you can by comprehending your aptitude for certain tasks and gain an understanding of what employers in your chosen field are looking for (NMBA, 2007). In life, one has to strategically plan everything he or she does to keep abreast with the daily demands result from work or family. Even though, the sporadic changes in spheres of life do affect our plans, we should take a leap of faith and not give up in planning our undertakings. Thinking of where we are in career path today, we have to plan constantly everything we do. Proper planning yield success in life when reality dawns and we appreciate our best decision we have made regarding our career, business, family and future. The concept of reflection on importance of lifelong learning and continuing professional development is a continuing process in any field or career. The learning has been carried out in two kinds, the first one being “the trial and error” and the second one is through “reflective activity” which entails the perception of associations and link between the parts of the experience. The reflection is perceived as a learning loop with continuous feedback between the experience and the situation (ANMC, 2006). In nursing profession, it is exceptionally imperative to be acquainted with that need to keep adding knowledge and learn new information or update in order to provide quality nursing care and enhance the patient safety in the rapidly changing healthcare surrounding. Additionally, the International Council of Nurses (ICN) emphasizes the need of continuing professional development as a life-long process of upholding and developing the competencies of the nurse. As such, the Australian Nursing & Midwifery Federation describes the continuing professional development as the means under which individuals of nursing profession maintain, develop and extend their knowledge, know-how and proficiency as they develop individual and professional qualities needed throughout their professional lives (NMBA, 2007). LIFELONG LEARNING AND CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT The increasing expectations in relation to the performance of primary care, and great demands on primary healthcare professionals, is vital in realizing and supporting interventions within primary care backgrounds to increase quality of care and safety coverage (Bailie et al, 2007, p.67). Healthcare practices need to fit into place in quality improvement activities to advance safety among patients in provision of services. Achieving healthcare improvements call for the collaborative effort among the health professionals to work as a team in their respective positions. It is imperative that standards for common practices promote quality enhancement and identify opportunities to initiate changes that will increase quality and safety for patients. Continuing professional development is both personal responsibility as well as responsibility of healthcare provider. Every nurse has a professional responsibility of maintaining competence during discharge of duties and has contemporary knowledge and relevant skill base to avail best nursing practices. The healthcare provider should avail opportunities for continuing professional development which are also relevant to nurses areas of practice and lifelong learning (ANMC, 2006). Extensive range of both formal and informal continuing professional development ought to be available to nurses which could be in forms of professional and personal developments, post graduate studies, re-training on new skills in seminar and joining of nursing professional bodies. To achieve all this, both individuals and healthcare provider should employ some strategies whose rationales are very important in continuing professional development and lifelong learning. The key strategies entails usage of nursing career planning and development document, personal development planning, professional portfolios, inter-professional education and training, and reflection on personal behavior and goals (NMBA, 2007). To guide and support nursing, career development document help to emphasize on personal values, choices, goals and plans. Individual development plan help to perfect how work is carried out and to evaluate where one need to be in future along with determining ways to set and attain nursing career goals and objectives. Professional portfolios is a fundamental requirement by Australian Nursing & Midwifery Council the measures the professional development and capability to remain in the professional register, which greatly help in continuing professional development (ANMC, 2013). Inter-professional communication is enhanced through nursing education and trainings carried out in interactive professional groups. Lastly, reflection on individual values strategy enables nurses to value patients and hold them with high esteem at the heart of healthcare. Nurses should use available information to assess their standards and ensure that it conform to nursing performance. The self evaluation of individual nursing performance may be sought to reflect on feedback from colleagues, which also assist in identifying professional development needs. The platform of continuing professional development enables nurses to seek additional knowledge and information to help them solve unfamiliar situation during their nursing practice. Competency and code of ethics in the nursing profession Nursing duties in the occupation focus on giving care to individuals and even communities suffering from some sort of illness. The activities aim at improving the health of the individual, maintaining the status at a good level and also preventing the occurrence and reoccurrence of illnesses. This ensures and improves the lives of individuals and communities from their early ages to death. Like other professionals, nurses specialize in their line of work. They may work separately to give care to people who need it. Nurses face a great array of legal, ethical and professional duties in their daily activities while at work (Dickenson, 2002). Nurses are required to respect a patient’s sovereignty and confidentiality when dealing with them irrespective of the patient they are treating. The professional aspect of nursing as a profession compel the nurse not to disclose any matters concerning the patient to any other party without consulting the patient. The patient is also to be treated with dignity during the treatment process. Legal implications in the nursing profession should also be adhered to with keen thoughtfulness not to breach them (Dickenson, 2002). Ethical issues come to the picture in moments when these legal issues are breached either knowingly or unknowingly. This is as a result of considering factors that may help the patient recover faster of better. This comes as a directive which makes treating patients to be looked at as the primary duty in giving care to patients. In the event that these legal jurisdictions are to be breach in good intentions to help the patients, the regulatory nursing body should be consulted before any actions are taken. The medical profession and more specifically that of Medical nursing is bound by a set code of ethics that are enforced within specific procedures (Zasz, 1974). The governing body has immediate influence in the conduct of nurses who are members of the body more than the law does. This is however rarely invoked in medical situations. The NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) is a regulating body whose function is to resister medical staff and practitioners. It operates by acting as a gatekeeper in the profession. It only allows individuals who have achieved a sets standard to be absorbed into the profession. When approved, they are considered Registered Medical Practitioners (‘RMP’S’). The body also investigates and monitors the activities in medical institutions. Unfit registered medical practitioners found guilty of legal ethical or other matters may be suspended or have their registration cancelled. Such measures uphold the dignity of the nursing profession and maintain the quality of service in the care giving industry (Zasz, 1974). Considerations should be made to recognize the fact that there are limitations to the donation the law has in the matters in the field of nursing (Dickenson, 2002). Consent and confidentiality of the patient require understanding of the law and also the ethical duties of professionals in the nursing field so as to conduct their duties with dignity, satisfaction and offer quality service to their clients, patients and their families. This regards to different patients cause concerning varying legal, professional and ethical situations (NMBA, 2007). This is caused due to individual differences in age, gender, religion, personal beliefs and more importantly. This calls for a need for nurses to take up each patient’s case individually and treat them with decency and dedication while under their care. DELEGATION OF NURSING TASKS It is very important and vital nursing skills that graduate registered nurse delegate tasks responsibly. A number of strategies have been availed to gain and improve delegation skills in ongoing process of improvement the nursing profession. Delegation of essential nursing skills is important for the patient safety and time management. According to ANMC "a delegation relationship exists when one member of the multidisciplinary health care team delegates aspects of consumer care". According to Bodenheimer (2002, p.1775), delegation of nursing tasks should focus on quality improvement activities which may encompass changes on daily operations of practice, for example work planning, opening and closing times, improving on customer care services and upgrading systems. Similarly, quality improvement may also entail activities specially intended to develop clinical care of the entire health practice, for example improving rates of immunization, improving the care for patients with urinary tract infection or changing the systems utilized in recognizing risk issues for sickness that are mainly common in healthcare practices. Delegation in nursing profession encompasses several strategies which include nursing education and nursing service support which help to continuously expand the knowledge skills and attitudes to appropriately delegate (Weydt, 2010). The second strategy is simulation exercises which help in building surroundings which encompasses scenarios found in daily practice which assists to instruct and display delegation skill. The third strategy is practice decision flowchart and narrative which recognize the agreed groundwork principles for decision making tools. According to NMBA (2007), this also helps to make obvious the appliance of the principles and concepts in the line of work. Fourth strategy is the pairing or partnering with other senior registered nurse which guide the graduate nurse into effective nursing practice while he or she makes critical thinking and decision through supervision of senior nurse. The aspects of delegation should focus to their competence and scope of practice, concentrating closely to role, functions, and learning needs. The registered nurse should monitor the tasks delegated to others and be there to offer required assistance which should be consistent with legislation and healthcare policy. This approach takes a complimentary role to competence of a person (Weydt, 2010). Health officers from high performing teams usually have a clear understanding of their roles, along with the demand of their colleagues, hence working in setting of honesty and trust where team leaders are receptive to different views. In the healthcare systems, risk management entails all levels of an organisation that intend to create and maintain safe systems of care. CONCLUSION In the present labor market, recruiting and retaining competent health care professionals can be a challenge. This shortage leaves hospitals and primary care overburdened and undermanned. This also poses a threat to the quality of care received by patients. In circumstances where shortage of this magnitude persist due to lack of professional development for a long period, the health care system in the country may be crippled by disruptions in care provision, decreased access to care and deterioration in the quality and safety of patient care. Healthcare systems of specialization should be introduced in the hospitals where a member of staff will get more involved in the field they can do best. The increasing expectations delegation of tasks in relation to the performance of primary care, and great demands on primary healthcare professionals, is vital in realising and supporting interventions within primary care backgrounds to increase value (quality) of care and safety coverage. Achieving healthcare improvements call for the collaborative effort among the health professionals to work as a team in their respective positions. It is imperative that standards for common practices promote quality enhancement and identify opportunities to initiate changes that will raise excellence and safety for patients. REFERENCES ANMF (2013) Nursing and Midwifery Education: Continuing Professional Development. Retrieve from: http://anmf.org.au/documents/policies/P_Nursing_midwifery_education_CPD.pdf ANMC (2007). Delegation and Supervision of Nurses and Midwives. Retrieved from: http://nursesstaging.elcom.com.au/ArticleDocuments/100/Delegation_and_Supervision_for_Nurses_and_Midwives.pdf.aspx ANMC (2006). National Competency Standards for the Registered Nurse. Retrieve from: http://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Codes-Guidelines.aspx#competencystandards Dickenson D (2002) (ed.), Ethical Issues in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Cambridge University Press HSEA (2002) The Action Plan for People Management in the Health Service. 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Retrieved from: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol152010/No2May2010/Delegation-Skills.html Wilhelmsson, M., Svensson, A., Timpka, T. and Faresjö, T. (2013). Nurses views of interprofessional education and collaboration: A comparative study of recent graduates from three universities. Journal of Interprofessional Care, (27), 2, 155-160. DOI:10.3109/13561820.2012.711787. Retrieve from: http://www.diva portal.org/smash/get/diva2:614202/FULLTEXT02 Zasz T., S. (1974). “Law Liberty and Psychiatry: An Inquiry into the Social Uses of Mental Health Practices.” London: Rutledge and Kegan Paul Read More