Professionalism in the Workplace
To become a skilled practitioner in any field requires certain attributes. Some of these attributes are valued more than others specifically in the nursing profession. Nurses are held to a higher standard in many professional traits for several justifiable reasons including being trusted with the care and comfort of people during a period of greatest need. Professional nurses are held accountable for the care and well-being of all patients. Being knowledgeable in the area in which becomes a specialty and acting in accordance with peers demonstrates prudent nursing practices (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2015). Some of the other traits of professionalism such as punctuality and dependability have greater
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Altruism is one of the most important traits and epitomizes the pinnacle of the profession. Understanding and committing to serving every patient’s need above one’s own, nurses are prepared to sacrifice their own basic needs of hydrating, nourishing the body, and eliminating waste until all patients are cared for. Furthermore, accountability to patients and their families as well as other medical staff is one of the backbones of nursing and signifies to the community in which they practice that trust is earned and transparency is vital. In my experience, accountability can mean the difference between life and death. If a mistake is made, a nurse must speak up and own it while trying to find the best possible solution. Pride or arrogance can never get in the way of healing patients. Lastly, skillfulness embodies professionalism in the nursing community. To become a skillful practitioner requires years of working and several competency exams including state licensure and certifications. According to Brennan & Monson ( 2014), the previous traits exemplify professionalism and establish trust within the community and overall lead to more patients seeking …show more content…
Empathy is a professional quality that illustrates to the patient that the nurse sees him or her as human, or as a friend or family member (Borgstrom, Cohn, & Barclay, 2010). The difficult part of empathizing is timing. A nurse must first build a competent, caring, and professional relationship with the patient before empathizing with him or her. Nurses are a source of strength and a pillar for that patient. When nurses show empathy, they are letting a patient know that it’s alright to share some of the burdens or express fears. Using this model of feeling and medicine is treating the patient as a whole person. Nurses must look inside themselves to treat the whole patient: mind, body, and soul. In conclusion, professionalism in nursing is multifaceted. Some aspects of professionalism are more important than others in regards to being a better practitioner while others have impacts on the nursing team as a whole. Regardless of the hierarchy of what makes a nurse professional, all nurses must act within their scope of practice. Also, being punctual and knowing personal limits as a skillful practitioner will ensure safety and reduce medical errors. Overall, nurses are renowned for their professionalism and respected and trusted by the
Professionalism is a very important aspect to nursing because it influences the patient and the nurse’s
The need for advocacy is most often first noticed by the nurse through empathy. When nurses are able to empathize with their patients it begins the process of advocacy. When the nurse empathizes with their patient an altruistic attitude towards the patient grows, this improves caring and caring is essentially an innate form of professional ethics. The want to advocate by the nurse is greatly enhanced when the nurse truly cares about the patient; which is best developed through empathy. The want to advocate for the patient by the nurse is the biggest factor in positive advocacy outcomes (Reed, F., et. all, 2016). Professional caring combines caring and empathy with nursing knowledge and competency; together these factors enable the nurse to serve as a capable moral agent for their patient within the healthcare system. It is not possible to advocate for a patient properly without being first able to empathize and create a therapeutic nurse-client
The nursing health field didn’t start as professional and organized as it is today. It started long away in the 19th -20th century; with a lady named Florence Nightingale. She was well known for her night rounds to help assist the wounded soldiers. She was known as, “Lady with the Lamp” (Potter & Perry, 2015 pg.106). What we are learning in school today is about the fundamental of patient care, cleanliness, and management is the legacy of Florence Nightingale. According to Fundamentals of Nursing by Yoost and Crawford, it stated that nursing profession has elevated to a higher degree of professionalism and respectability. I believe that professionalism is required in the working place. As a professional nurse, I’m expected to
Professionalism in the nursing profession provides a sense of individuality on how individuals treat, act, and respect each other on and off the job. Professionalism starts with respect towards others and upholding a sense of integrity for the nursing profession and the patients being cared for. Since nurses are a representation of the organization and are providing the care to patients, it is important for nurses to uphold a high standard of professional behavior at all times. Through a concept map of professionalism, this author describes how to enhance professionalism within the nursing profession. The explanation entails how each aspect pertains to the nursing profession and how each aspect has been used within the clinical
In a highly respected profession such as nursing, professionalism is an important element to staying employed and setting one’s self apart from the rest of the applicants when competing for a potential job. By definition professionalism are the qualities and traits that describe a professional. While knowledge is crucial in any profession, according to an article published by the University of Kansas (2012), “all medical professionals must strive to retain those humanistic qualities integrity, respect, and compassion that constitute the essence of professionalism.” Whether you work in a hospital or administration these three qualities encompass the core of nursing and exemplify what it means to be a professional.
Therefore, I strive every day to be that professional, that health care provider that has a positive and long lasting impact on patient’s health and wellbeing. I always strive to be that professional that my patients and colleagues trust, respect and admire. As a registered nurse, I have accomplished that. I know it because I am asked to precept new nurses and students, because my colleagues come to me frequently to ask me questions when they are in doubt, because when there is a difficult or complicated patient, my supervisor trust me with his care, because at the end of a long busy shift with seven to eight patients under my care, my patients praise me and thank me for the great and unique care I provided them.
There are many careers in which professionalism is important and nursing is one of those careers. There are many components that make up professionalism and there are different ways to display it in nursing. Values, both personal and career, define what is expected in the nursing occupation. It is important to understand the definition of professionalism and how to apply it to the workplace.
According to the College of Nurse of Ontario (2006), empathy is one of the five key components of the nurse-client relationship and is one of the most powerful tools. You don’t need to know how your patient feels to be empathetic but letting them know that you are trying to understand is a good start. It can be used to describe a variety of experiences and had been defined by emotional researchers “as the ability to imagine what someone else might be thinking or feeling” (University of California, Berkeley). Having the ability to empathize doesn’t mean you will or that you are willing to help someone in need but it is an important first step towards a compassionate
Teaching is part of being a nurse (Angelo, 2015). Being a nurse does not only end at providing full care to the patients but also includes proper teaching about the patients’ disease and medications. Patient’s education should happen when opportunities come, especially before discharge. By teaching them prior to discharge and providing them hand-outs, pamphlets or websites to find important information about their disease and medication, they will be ready to administer their own medications and be informed about their disease. Good personality is also vital in nursing practice (Angelo, 2015). It is not only what a nurse has learned in school or the skills and knowledge that he or she acquired from clinical instructors that are important, but also the whole make-up of a nurse’s own self. For example, a knowledgeable nurse is fully equipped with the skills in dressing a wound, but will never be an effective nurse if he or she does not know how to behave while performing the skill. The facial expressions and body language showing that a nurse is uncomfortable seeing the wound makes him or her unsuitable for the job. It is important that a nurse must not only limit his or her learning inside the skills lab or hospital (Angelo, 2015). Joining associations, programs, community services, and volunteering opportunities can expand nurses’ knowledge, skills, and abilities. The tone of voice must
The combination of professionalism and ethics can be equated with an extraordinary nurse because they are core components in the nursing profession and crucial to patient trust, confidence and wellbeing. Having a degree in nursing is not what makes one a professional. Professionalism is
Professional values that are incorporated into my nursing practice include veracity, kindness, support and understanding. It is important to be honest with patients and help them set realistic goals during their recovery process. It is also important to be kind to those that are ill, as they may not have the best attitude at tim...
In conclusion , professional values are important for nurses to practice and maintain. By striving to maintain these values nurses can improve credibility for the profession, give back to the community and improve care and patient outcomes for everyone. Practicing professional values will help push nurses to evolve, as health care and how it is provided changes due to the advancements in science and technology. Organizations will find success and develop a pleasant work environment that employees will be proud to be a part of. Maintaining professional values will allow all nurses to continue practicing for the simple reason of wanting to care for others and give back to those in need.
Nurses must have a professional relationship with all types of people. The nurse must be a professional with their coworkers, superiors, and patients. The most important relationship is with the patient; if a professional relationship does not exist with them, the nurse as well as the organization will get a bad reputation. This in turn will ruin our professional relationship with our coworkers and superiors and will eventually cost that person a
Professionalism in the workplace in many professions can be simplified into general categories such as neat appearance, interaction with clients, punctuality, general subject knowledge, and likability. In nursing, professionalism encompasses a much more broad and inclusive set of criteria than any other profession. Nurses specifically are held to a higher standard in nearly every part of their job. Nurses are not only expected to uphold what it seen as professional in the aforementioned categories, but they are also expected to promote health, wellbeing, and advocate for patients, but also continually provide the highest standard of care, demonstrate exemplary subject and procedural knowledge, and abide by the Code of ethics set forth by the American Nurses Association. This Code of Ethics includes the complex moral and ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, fidelity, honesty, and integrity.
Compassion from a care giver needs to be felt towards patients to ensure that difference will be made. A positive attitude can be contagious towards other employees or the ones being cared for. When a nurse approaches a patient with an upbeat, but calm and confident vibe, the visitor excepts and trusts the work that must be done to them. One is put at ease when they are in the that type of environment. Altruism is the ability to be selfless and instead have a dedication to the welfare of others. () In the nursing profession, an employee shows care and empathy for clients, but must do the same towards themselves. A nurse must maintain calmness within herself when with a patient in order to fully provide security for their patient. It is important for the nurse to prevent becoming tired or stressed which may hinder them carrying out their duty effectively. In order to receive and hold humanistic-altruistic values, a nurse must extend forward continuous love, kindness and mental awareness at all times. Altruism is essential in unlocking a nurse 's compassion and empathy therefore creating a more positive and healing environment for the patient. () Not only must a nurse show the proper care towards ones clients with an appropriate attitude, but taking care of an employees own self needs and requirements are