Professionalism In Nursing Essay

Concepts of Professionalism in Nursing “The skill, good judgement, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well” (Professionalism, n.d.). Professionalism is a highly regarded characteristic in nursing today. There are codes of conduct that are set through many institutions, to hold nurses accountable for their actions. This paper will describe two concepts of professionalism, integrity and ethical practice. These concepts are essential and are the key features of quality care for patients. These elements of nursing standards have to be met with competency and cultural awareness to be effective in the workplace.
Integrity
Integrity can be defined on a personal or professional level. Integrity is based on morals that you have obtained either through education or daily life lessons. RN’s today face lack of
proficient clinical experiences, staffing shortages, and higher hospital costs that contribute to moral distress. “Moral distress is a serious problem in nursing. It results in significant physical and emotional stress” (Eby , Hartley, Hodges, Hoffpauir, & Newbanks, 2013). This problem tests the integrity of most nurses. It is imperative that through education students learn about these issues and ways to overcome. Integrity is going above and beyond what is expected of the nurse to provide good quality competent care. “Provision Five in the ANA’s Code of Ethics describes the “responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence” to self and to others” (Dworkowitz, BS, RN, 2013).
Ethical Practice
Nurses have to have a sound knowledge base of ethical problems that may arise in the workplace.
A three step approach to deciding the ethical elements of a problem; recognition of a situation, knowledge of moral features of the situation, and cultural awareness. RNs have the duty to remain unbiased when caring for patients. There are many situations when nurses must reflect on what is wrong and right. They have a duty to care for the patient and set aside any beliefs of their own. For every action preformed, the nurse should have a rationale as to why the action is being done. They have to respect the patient’s wishes, heritage, integrity and most of all safety. “By understanding and knowing oneself entirely and completely, one can begin to know and relate to others; this knowing and understanding serves as the basis for providing quality nursing care by being respectful, honest, ethical, and morally just” (Dworkowitz, BS, RN, 2013). Making decisions based on ethical dilemmas nurses have to be held accountable for the outcomes. It is their responsibility to confidently make judgements that reflect
autonomy.
Conclusion
Education is the base of knowledge for nurses today. Having the ability to learn about ethical dilemmas, beneficence, and autonomy can only increase the satisfaction rate of patients care. It is the responsibility of the nurse to seek knowledge and continue to grow on today’s matters as well as future issues. With national and local matters nurses are seeing new cultures in today’s healthcare field. Having the knowledge about their heritage and have an unprejudiced approach to their care can only enhance the RNs competence in care. The nurse has to step out of the box and continue to go above and beyond the call of duty to provide for his/her patients.