Reflective Journal: Professional Nursing Organizations

The topic I chose to explore further from the previous lectures was professional nursing organizations. What interested me about this topic is the fact that there are a plethora of professional organizations that are each unique to a specific goal or outcome that the organization wishes to improve upon in the nursing profession. Obtaining a minor in psychology has also made me appreciate the mental health aspect of treating and caring for a patient or client on a daily basis. After finding an article about advance practice psychiatric nurses and the international society of psychiatric nurses (ISPN), I read how they were creating a vision to diversify their organization by educating how to become culturally competent and how they may be able to put to use these values in practice. This article definitely reeled me in as it covered most of what we covered in class including a professional organization, cultural competency, and even evidence-based practice. The majority of the information provided by the article is a chronological progression of the different changes the ISPN, and in other previously separated organizations, on how they have tried and succeeded in one of their many goals to broaden their knowledge on different cultures and religions, and also becoming culturally competent. According to the ISPN, cultural competence “involves the ability to be responsive to the differences of others and to work effectively and respectfully within the context of the cultural values, traditions, beliefs, concerns, and needs of other individuals and groups” (Yearwood, Hines-Martin, Dato & Malone, 2006). This includes being able to put these abilities to use when dealing with a patient, for example being able to completely empathize for the patient because you understand the entire cultural aspect of their lives. In its opening paragraph, the article also provides information demonstrating that mental health and psychiatric conditions are paramount to the overall

References: Yearwood, E., Hines-Martin, V., Dato, C., & Malone, M. (2006). Creating an organizational diversity vision: goals, outcomes, and future directions of the International Society of Psychiatric Nurses. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 20(3), 152-156. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.