Introduction
Nursing, as a profession, requires that students and practicing nurses be self-responsible and accountable in their behavior and deeds. Being a professional nurse begins when one enrolls to the educational program in an institution of higher learning. For instance, a nursing student will show professionalism through positive class attendance, exemplary clinical experiences, and punctuality in both class and clinical assignments (Kozier, Berman, and Erb, 2004). This paper reviews personal experiences during a recently undertaken clinical assignment in the light of eight basic strengths in the nursing profession.
Professional Behavior
Harassment of any kind; be it physical or verbal, sexual or social discrimination, is unwanted in the field of nursing. Going against the code of conduct has a definite disciplinary result, and to some extent, lead to dismissal. Students who maintain professional environment are more likely to evade trouble compared to those who keep a personal relationship with patients. They must be emotionally detached individuals trying to administer medication. Such professionals always deliver their full potential as reliable nurses.
It was in the expectation of the heath facility that student nurses treat each client with equal respect, recognizing personal dignity regardless age, gender, or race. In addition, nifty nurses did not involve themselves with a patient, sexually, verbally or physically demean their patients; and publicly examine, treat and care for them without personal acquiescence (Kozier, Berman, and Erb, 2004). Any professional nurse must view patients as individuals capable of making full-informed decisions.
Assessment
Clinical practices were a requirement for every nursing student wishing to graduate as a registered nurse. Therefore, a steady-as-you-go assessment was essential in promoting professional growth; turning impractical students into ruminative individuals; purveying information to instructors on student proficiency in clinical practice; and providing evidence on course achievement. Any student, who failed to pass any section in the assessment form, failed the entire module attracting a possible re-evaluation. The freedom to choose a suitable frequency of supervision depended on the practicing student nurses and their supervisors. It proved beneficial for a student to earn a constructive Personal Development Record for their professional growth (Kozier, Berman, and Erb, 2004).
Communication Skills
The creation of a better nurse requires one to display effective and mature communication skills with patients and colleagues. Clinical practice is all about listening, questioning, summarizing, and reflection upon proper demonstration. Such skills when well employed enable one to gather adequate information, think critically, reduce nurse-patient anxiety, and facilitate a clear liaison. However, communication skills were not only learnt from patients but also from fellow students, lecturers, supervisors, and hospital administrators. Through clinical practice, I ascertained that exceptional communication skills seek to evaluate the implications of provided information for one to act accordingly (Kozier, Berman, and Erb, 2004).
Caring Interventions and Clinical Decision Making
There is this instance when all nurses were grouped into Newbie, Intermediate, and Super levels of practice clusters in movable phases. Newbie nurses used procedural notes as references to come up with clinical inferences. When faced with new and rare cases, the newbie nurses were unable to come up with their own decisions because of information inadequacy. Movement up a phase was only allowed if the entire group acquired enough experience and independence. Expert nurses, on the other hand, comprised of curious individuals, with an urge to know more about clinical practice (Kozier, Berman, and Erb, 2004). They would not only follow orders from their supervisors, but also felt obliged to extend a helping hand in finding solutions to cases.
Caring interventions resulted from inference out of diagnostics with a cluster of risk determinants. Care plans give an individual nurse a chance to make confident clinical judgment. Since every clinical duty requires individuals who are accountable for their own actions, the nurses showed the ability to come up with solutions especially in cases of improper diagnostics. Informed decisions were made with reference to past clinical cases or, if unavailable, in the presence of an experienced practitioner.
Collaboration
Good teachers always teach their students the importance of teamwork. In view of nursing, professionals learn that rare and challenging situations are better solved through group work and consultancy. Improvement efforts towards such desirable performance were through group tasks where members would chip in for ultimate solutions. Even then, the ability to gain expertise is dependent on the ability to contribute and assume collective responsibility (Kozier, Berman, and Erb, 2004).
Managing Care
Managing care requires individuals to differentiate and prioritize their care choices. Student nurses were taught how to make responsible management decisions given inadequate resources. The facility displayed an exceptional level of seriousness when it came to hiring physicians. The capacity to manage medical information, a desire to continue learning, respect of professional ethics, and guiding of patients sold a candidate physician (Kozier, Berman, and Erb, 2004).
Teaching and Learning
Medicine is purely about learning of new disease strains, their causes, and symptoms. In certain circumstances, the hospital would receive emergency cases that were hard to diagnose. The diagnostics department would always find a way of sending student nurses on investigative duties. They were given outdoor assignments of finding out disease causes, hidden symptoms, and inappropriate dosages. For instance, a female student learnt of an older diabetic patient who had been given an unusual diabetic medication. She approached her supervisor for clarification who referred her to the nurse in charge. Since the staffing nurse had no idea, the student learnt from the patient that he had additional heart diseases, and so the doctor had mixed the two to kill two birds with a single stone. The doctor taught the entire staff a salient lesson: that the field of medicine accommodates a reflective mind (Kozier, Berman, and Erb, 2004).
Reference
Kozier, B., Berman, A. J., & Erb, G. (2004). Fundamentals of Nursing: Concepts, Process and Practice. The University of Michigan: Prentice Hall Health.