Professionalism
Running Head: Professionalism in Nursing
Professionalism in Nursing:
The Impact in Healthcare
Megan Moore
Wilmington University
Professionalism in nursing: The impact in healthcare
Nurses are expected to have the highest professional standards and ethics of any other profession. They are also expected to live up to high public opinion of behavior, appearance, and competence (Jones, 2010). In terms of patient care, nurses have a duty to establish and maintain the trust of, and rapport with, each patient with whom they have been entrusted. Throughout the years, nursing has gone through a cycle of evolution. In the early days, with Florence Nightingale, nurses were uniform, refined, entrusted with minute tasks, and above reproach (Cipriano, 2008). In recent past, the trend has been toward a personal nursing practice, individuality, and rapid entry into the field (American Association, 2010; LaSala & Nelson, 2010). This paper will highlight that, in order to maintain the high public opinion of the profession and increase the level of patient trust, nurses should present a professional and uniform appearance, promote self-regulation, and strive for higher education.. According to Spragley & Francis (2006), nursing uniforms create the first impression to patients upon which all interaction is based. Also included with their research is the conclusion that patients may feel more comfortable with disclosing personal information to nurses in uniform, as opposed to a more peer-type nurse who is dressed in “street clothes with a lab coat.” This distance that the uniform creates between nurse and patient, while appearing to alienate the nurse from the patient, may actually create necessary boundaries that the patient can rely on and identify with (Spragley & Francis, 2006) (Timmons & East, 2011). Interestingly, LaSalla & Nelson have noted that increasingly nurses are aware of how professional image can influence the public’s perception
Professionalism in Nursing:
The Impact in Healthcare
Megan Moore
Wilmington University
Professionalism in nursing: The impact in healthcare
Nurses are expected to have the highest professional standards and ethics of any other profession. They are also expected to live up to high public opinion of behavior, appearance, and competence (Jones, 2010). In terms of patient care, nurses have a duty to establish and maintain the trust of, and rapport with, each patient with whom they have been entrusted. Throughout the years, nursing has gone through a cycle of evolution. In the early days, with Florence Nightingale, nurses were uniform, refined, entrusted with minute tasks, and above reproach (Cipriano, 2008). In recent past, the trend has been toward a personal nursing practice, individuality, and rapid entry into the field (American Association, 2010; LaSala & Nelson, 2010). This paper will highlight that, in order to maintain the high public opinion of the profession and increase the level of patient trust, nurses should present a professional and uniform appearance, promote self-regulation, and strive for higher education.. According to Spragley & Francis (2006), nursing uniforms create the first impression to patients upon which all interaction is based. Also included with their research is the conclusion that patients may feel more comfortable with disclosing personal information to nurses in uniform, as opposed to a more peer-type nurse who is dressed in “street clothes with a lab coat.” This distance that the uniform creates between nurse and patient, while appearing to alienate the nurse from the patient, may actually create necessary boundaries that the patient can rely on and identify with (Spragley & Francis, 2006) (Timmons & East, 2011). Interestingly, LaSalla & Nelson have noted that increasingly nurses are aware of how professional image can influence the public’s perception
References: American Association of Colleges of Nursing, The (AACN), (2011, July 15). The american association of colleges of nursing Lane, S. H., & Kohlenberg, E. (2010). The Future of Baccalaureate Degrees for Nurses. Nursing Forum, 45(4), 218-227 LaSala, K. B., & Nelson, J. (2005). What Contributes to Professionalism?. MEDSURG Nursing, 14(1), 63-67 Skår, R. (2010). The meaning of autonomy in nursing practice. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 19(15/16), 2226-2234 Spragley, F., & Francis, K. (2006). Nursing uniforms: Professional symbol or outdated relic?. Nursing Management, 37(10), 55-58. Timmons, S., & East, L. (2011). Uniforms, status and professional boundaries in hospital. Sociology Of Health & Illness, 33(7), 1035-1049