Encouraging Nurses to Participate in Community Activities

Introduction

One can only agree to Maya Angelou’s belief of how “As a nurse, we have the opportunity to heal the heart, mind, soul and body of our patients, their families and ourselves.” The field of nursing applies holistic care of all patients. From healing hands to caring hearts, nurses are the first person patients see when they wake up in the morning and the last before bed. With that being said, the biggest debate for over a century amongst the medical community is whether nursing is a profession. To shine some light over this topic, Pavalko’s eight dimensions will be applied to define nursing as a profession.

Social Values (A profession has relevance to social values)

More than 150 years have passed since Florence Nightingale first decided she wanted to be a nurse. Her dedications to providing lifelong services and care to the sick and the poor has been the center of nursing care. Therefore, nursing is considered one of the most altruistic professions around. Today, nurses still maintain the same social values, providing care to the ill and the poor but has taken on a more complex role, which includes providing health education and promotions. Randle (2010), believes by providing health education materials to diabetic patients, encourage these patients to change their lifestyles then the desired outcome would be increased health and wellness with a lasting effect versus the quick fix of medications alone.

Education (A profession has a training or educational period)

Unlike other healthcare professionals, a degree in nursing has several types of entry levels leading to licensure. There are three main types of educational tracts that one may take to receive a license to practice nursing, diploma program,...

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