The Importance Of Professionalism In Nursing
Unlike many professions in the world, nursing is a career that requires vast amounts of interpersonal communication with patients, families, and fellow care providers. This large amount of communication is not an easy load to handle especially when a nurse has to communicate and also maintain professionalism. To preserve professionalism while working, a nurse must maintain professional communication, have positive first impressions upon patients and coworkers, follow values that allow for relationship building, and communicate in order to build trust.
As the profession of nursing grew into a larger field, different organizations began establishing their own characteristics or values that they believed nurses should follow. One of these organizations was the American Nurses Association. This Association …show more content…
established characteristics that they believed nurses should demonstrate. Among these are integrity, altruism, human dignity, altruism, and social justice. Along with providing these aspects to the care that is given to clients and patients, the nursing profession also has values that a nurse is to uphold and hold true to themselves. Viterbo has established a list of values that every nursing student and graduate is to be committed to demonstrating and living by. These values are caring, integrity, commitment, collegiality, and wisdom.
These are not the only characteristics and values that a nurse should follow. Nearly every healthcare facility and medical organization will have their own set of standards from which every nurse is able to connect and relate their work to.
Professionalism can be defined and perceived in many different ways especially when discussing professionalism within different careers. I believe that professionalism in nursing is the demonstration of proper communication, knowledge, and skill while supporting a team working atmosphere. Proper communication is not only being able to discuss treatment and issues with a patient in a mature manner, but also being able to work with a team of staff members in order to achieve a professional work environment. Communication is vastly important among healthcare workers because miscommunication or poor communication skills could harm a patient physically or mentally. According to The Journal of Trauma Nursing, “Seventy percent of preventable medical errors are a result of poor communication between providers, and more than half of all deaths in the US malpractice lawsuits are attributed to poor teamwork”
() Another aspect of professional communication is the way in which a person communicates non-verbally. For example, a professional when listening and responding to a patient will not only actively listen and respond back to clarify if the meaning is being interpreted correctly, but also the exhibition of nodding, maintaining eye contact, and no inappropriate body movements such as slouching or eye rolling would occur. If a patient walked up to a nurse and she looked at the patient with the same face displayed in the photo to the right, the patient would feel taken back and unwilling to share what they truly wanted from that nurse. These small, and often non-intentional non-verbal ques separate a communicator from a professional communicator. Furthermore, the use of knowledge in a helpful and resourceful manner leads to the building of rapport within those you work making yourself seem well verse in your job and a more outstanding professional. The demonstration of skills in a correct manner and in a way that maintains autonomy and comfort of the patient, is a practice used by those who are seen as professionals. The last aspect I deemed important that comes from a professional is the use of team working and communicating as a team. A professional is able to collaborate ideas with other in order to provide the best care possible to those they are treating and healing. Without the professional team communication it is easy for a group to forget what is for the best of the patient and what will be the best form of treatment leading to the patient being in a risky situation.
There are different forms of communication that are differentiated to be used within different situations or different groups of people. According to, Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication for Nurses, “effective communication is defined as a two-way exchange of information among clients and health providers ensuring that the expectations and responsibilities or all are clearly understood” (Boggs, 1/19/16, p. 23).Social communication is the form of communication that one would use when around someone who you have a social relationship with such as a friend, a family member, or just an acquaintance. Social communication is superficial and does not dig deep into personal information but still has form of light emotions to it. Social and Professional communication are not meant to be used within the same group of people. Professional communication is the form of communicating that would be used when in a work atmosphere. The use of professional communication is a necessity is needed when talking with patients and co-workers because it is necessary to hold up a professional stance with both parties. When a nurse exhibits professional communication while with fellow coworkers or a patient, that person is then seen as a professional. Being able to talk in a professional manner builds trust with those you work with and leaves the patient seeing you
A first impression is the impression a person receives upon another when first meeting or encountering the other. In our society, first impressions are seen to be an initial judgement we put upon a person as a first meeting occurs which in turn make a perception of who the other is as a person. There is a huge importance on giving a positive first impression because it is the basis of the experiences one has for the rest of that relationship or time of communicating. In any professional career it is very important to make a good first impression, without one trust and further communication is more difficult to establish. For nurses, it is important to make a good first impression upon a patient that one has to treat, because it will lead to the building of trust and a professional relationship. Within a first impression many different aspects of a person are analyzed and viewed on by the other. Some of these aspects are physical appearance including what a person is wearing along with how they look overall. For instance, as a nurse something that will be looked at are the scrubs one is wearing and if they appear clean. If a patient were to come in from a test that they had done, and they find their nurse sitting on their courch like in this picture, the patient would have have a first impression of their care provider as a lazy and unprofessional person due to her position and body posture. Another aspect of a first impression is often the sound of one’s voice and if it sounds welcoming or if it may sound harsh leading to the patient believing the nurse has other places to be than with that patient. These different aspects that a patient can see and hear establishes a first impression about the nurse that is caring for them, and in turn the type of treatment they predict they will receive while in that individuals care.
Values can influence every aspect of a nurse’s or professional’s life including how well a first impression and the building of relationships go. If an individual held the value of listening, then the first impression of that person may be someone who is not very outspoken but very attentive to what oneself says. These forms of values can help shape and build a relationship with more ease. Values such as trust, openness, patience, and compassion will leave not only a positive first impression but in turn will allow for a relationship to be build due to a person being able to see security for themselves within those traits. But, if a person holds values such as being the best, wealth, or risk-taking as a top priority, a patient may be more adept to feel fear or distrust within the person who is supposed to care for them.
Communication is the interaction someone has with those around them in order to achieve a goal. Communicating with peers is often an easy task because there is always something similar between someone of the same age. Another reason why communication with peers is much similar is because the use of social communication occurs which allows for spontaneous interaction without a specific purpose in the conversation. Social communication is also used when talking to strangers due to the lack of knowledge on who they are and what they would often discuss. This form of communication is slightly more difficult to build trust because topics often skim the top and don’t often dig deep enough to a place where trust has to be in existence. Whereas, the communication that is done with a coworker is a more difficult task, due to the need for professional communication. When with a coworker one has to maintain proper and professional terminology and refrain from personal interferences. This allows for trust and respect to be shared between the two groups. This form of communication is similar to that, which is given to a client or patient. The difference between the professional communication with coworkers and of that for patients, is that often with patient a nurse will have to therapeutic communication. This form of communication is used in order to help a patient through a difficult time such as when they are in the hospital. This stimulates the patient to be able to trust the person that is caring for them in their time of need. To uphold professional communication and other professional based characteristics is not an easy job. It is crucial to develop a positive first impression from which a professional and trusting relationship is able to build on. For nurses, there is not only the need to remain professional around patients but also around those that are used to collaborate ideas on for the patient to be well treated and comfortable. Without proper communication professionalism within nursing would not be as common as it is today.
As the profession of nursing grew into a larger field, different organizations began establishing their own characteristics or values that they believed nurses should follow. One of these organizations was the American Nurses Association. This Association …show more content…
established characteristics that they believed nurses should demonstrate. Among these are integrity, altruism, human dignity, altruism, and social justice. Along with providing these aspects to the care that is given to clients and patients, the nursing profession also has values that a nurse is to uphold and hold true to themselves. Viterbo has established a list of values that every nursing student and graduate is to be committed to demonstrating and living by. These values are caring, integrity, commitment, collegiality, and wisdom.
These are not the only characteristics and values that a nurse should follow. Nearly every healthcare facility and medical organization will have their own set of standards from which every nurse is able to connect and relate their work to.
Professionalism can be defined and perceived in many different ways especially when discussing professionalism within different careers. I believe that professionalism in nursing is the demonstration of proper communication, knowledge, and skill while supporting a team working atmosphere. Proper communication is not only being able to discuss treatment and issues with a patient in a mature manner, but also being able to work with a team of staff members in order to achieve a professional work environment. Communication is vastly important among healthcare workers because miscommunication or poor communication skills could harm a patient physically or mentally. According to The Journal of Trauma Nursing, “Seventy percent of preventable medical errors are a result of poor communication between providers, and more than half of all deaths in the US malpractice lawsuits are attributed to poor teamwork”
() Another aspect of professional communication is the way in which a person communicates non-verbally. For example, a professional when listening and responding to a patient will not only actively listen and respond back to clarify if the meaning is being interpreted correctly, but also the exhibition of nodding, maintaining eye contact, and no inappropriate body movements such as slouching or eye rolling would occur. If a patient walked up to a nurse and she looked at the patient with the same face displayed in the photo to the right, the patient would feel taken back and unwilling to share what they truly wanted from that nurse. These small, and often non-intentional non-verbal ques separate a communicator from a professional communicator. Furthermore, the use of knowledge in a helpful and resourceful manner leads to the building of rapport within those you work making yourself seem well verse in your job and a more outstanding professional. The demonstration of skills in a correct manner and in a way that maintains autonomy and comfort of the patient, is a practice used by those who are seen as professionals. The last aspect I deemed important that comes from a professional is the use of team working and communicating as a team. A professional is able to collaborate ideas with other in order to provide the best care possible to those they are treating and healing. Without the professional team communication it is easy for a group to forget what is for the best of the patient and what will be the best form of treatment leading to the patient being in a risky situation.
There are different forms of communication that are differentiated to be used within different situations or different groups of people. According to, Interpersonal Relationships: Professional Communication for Nurses, “effective communication is defined as a two-way exchange of information among clients and health providers ensuring that the expectations and responsibilities or all are clearly understood” (Boggs, 1/19/16, p. 23).Social communication is the form of communication that one would use when around someone who you have a social relationship with such as a friend, a family member, or just an acquaintance. Social communication is superficial and does not dig deep into personal information but still has form of light emotions to it. Social and Professional communication are not meant to be used within the same group of people. Professional communication is the form of communicating that would be used when in a work atmosphere. The use of professional communication is a necessity is needed when talking with patients and co-workers because it is necessary to hold up a professional stance with both parties. When a nurse exhibits professional communication while with fellow coworkers or a patient, that person is then seen as a professional. Being able to talk in a professional manner builds trust with those you work with and leaves the patient seeing you
A first impression is the impression a person receives upon another when first meeting or encountering the other. In our society, first impressions are seen to be an initial judgement we put upon a person as a first meeting occurs which in turn make a perception of who the other is as a person. There is a huge importance on giving a positive first impression because it is the basis of the experiences one has for the rest of that relationship or time of communicating. In any professional career it is very important to make a good first impression, without one trust and further communication is more difficult to establish. For nurses, it is important to make a good first impression upon a patient that one has to treat, because it will lead to the building of trust and a professional relationship. Within a first impression many different aspects of a person are analyzed and viewed on by the other. Some of these aspects are physical appearance including what a person is wearing along with how they look overall. For instance, as a nurse something that will be looked at are the scrubs one is wearing and if they appear clean. If a patient were to come in from a test that they had done, and they find their nurse sitting on their courch like in this picture, the patient would have have a first impression of their care provider as a lazy and unprofessional person due to her position and body posture. Another aspect of a first impression is often the sound of one’s voice and if it sounds welcoming or if it may sound harsh leading to the patient believing the nurse has other places to be than with that patient. These different aspects that a patient can see and hear establishes a first impression about the nurse that is caring for them, and in turn the type of treatment they predict they will receive while in that individuals care.
Values can influence every aspect of a nurse’s or professional’s life including how well a first impression and the building of relationships go. If an individual held the value of listening, then the first impression of that person may be someone who is not very outspoken but very attentive to what oneself says. These forms of values can help shape and build a relationship with more ease. Values such as trust, openness, patience, and compassion will leave not only a positive first impression but in turn will allow for a relationship to be build due to a person being able to see security for themselves within those traits. But, if a person holds values such as being the best, wealth, or risk-taking as a top priority, a patient may be more adept to feel fear or distrust within the person who is supposed to care for them.
Communication is the interaction someone has with those around them in order to achieve a goal. Communicating with peers is often an easy task because there is always something similar between someone of the same age. Another reason why communication with peers is much similar is because the use of social communication occurs which allows for spontaneous interaction without a specific purpose in the conversation. Social communication is also used when talking to strangers due to the lack of knowledge on who they are and what they would often discuss. This form of communication is slightly more difficult to build trust because topics often skim the top and don’t often dig deep enough to a place where trust has to be in existence. Whereas, the communication that is done with a coworker is a more difficult task, due to the need for professional communication. When with a coworker one has to maintain proper and professional terminology and refrain from personal interferences. This allows for trust and respect to be shared between the two groups. This form of communication is similar to that, which is given to a client or patient. The difference between the professional communication with coworkers and of that for patients, is that often with patient a nurse will have to therapeutic communication. This form of communication is used in order to help a patient through a difficult time such as when they are in the hospital. This stimulates the patient to be able to trust the person that is caring for them in their time of need. To uphold professional communication and other professional based characteristics is not an easy job. It is crucial to develop a positive first impression from which a professional and trusting relationship is able to build on. For nurses, there is not only the need to remain professional around patients but also around those that are used to collaborate ideas on for the patient to be well treated and comfortable. Without proper communication professionalism within nursing would not be as common as it is today.