Patient Professionalism

A person who practices, professionalism in the workplace has the required knowledge to perform duties, knows how to apply the knowledge, and makes ethical decisions in the best interests of clients. Professionalism is a positive way to treat the clients by focusing on their needs. A professional performs work related tasks with care so that mistakes are uncommon. I do not show favoritism, and I maintain confidentiality of my clients’ information. The true professional has a selfless attitude and is always willing to do what it takes to finish my job.

Professionalism starts even before a nurse is hired for a job. It is an attitude and a mind-set that the nurse brings to me to the job interview. A professional should wear clothing that is clean

I focus on improving and need of my clients. For example, if a patient has ineffective airway clearance, how do I assist the patient? A professional assesses the situation, clears the patient’s airway, and applies the proper breathing treatment if it is necessary. A professional understands that privacy is important and will knock before entering a client’s room. I also call the patients by their preferred name. These are courtesies that show the nurse respects my clients.

A nurse must also observe the three nursing professionals to achieve professionalism on the job. These are boundaries and over involvement, following rules and regulations, and maintaining patient confidentiality.

Professional boundaries must be set because the nurse is in a position of trust, and I must not act in a way that might make the client feel uncomfortable mentally, physically, or emotionally. Professional boundaries can be crossed when the nurse becomes too helpful or too controlling. Giving personal compliments, telling the patient too much information about myself, or showing favoritism are all signs of crossing the boundaries. A nurse should accomplish work by focusing on the client outcomes and minimize in personal involvement in clients’ lives. A personal relationship between the client and the nurse can harm therapeutic effectiveness (Morrison-Valfre,

In today’s society, social media has many advantages to create social interactions among people. However, professional nurses should not post clients’ information on their social media pages. According to an article published by Polito, J. M. (2012), “Caregivers, patients, and their family members are increasingly relying on social network websites for storing, communicating, and referencing medical information. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule seeks balance of protecting the privacy of patients' health information and assuring that this information is available to those who need it to provide health care.” On the first day of client admission into a facility, health care providers must provide a questionnaire for the clients so that the provider may know more about the patient’s condition. This helps providers to give better care. Some of the answers that are provided by the clients contain information in their living wills and who will have power of attorney in case they become unable to make decisions for themselves. The document that contains this information is on the first page of a client’s care plan. A professional nurse protects this information and would only give it to those who possess the power of attorney designated by the