Working in a health care facility presupposes a lot of responsibility and skills. Every nurse realizes that there much more to the profession than simply helping the doctors. While interviewing my peer, I noticed how seriously she considered the questions and how deeply she understands her professional identity. The main theme of my peer’s answers was that being a health care team member entails a number of responsibilities, the fulfillment of which is crucial for gaining the best patient outcomes.
I cannot but agree with my peer that the aspects of the role of a health care team member are multiple. Indeed, dealing with various situations presupposes the realization of such roles as the patient advocate, dietician, security guard, social worker, nurse educator, and many more. I particularly like the opinion that a nurse should build cordial relationships not only with patients but also with colleagues.
My peer stated that her work is “dedication,” and I think this word describes our profession the best. She made a good point by saying that every team member should support others and should be able to rely on them in any situation. That is exactly what colleagues should do. We share the same values and responsibilities, the core one being professional capacity.
Professional responsibility is a major issue in nursing (Grace, 2017). In the interview, my peer defined professionalism as a key ingredient in achieving a healthy work environment. She stated that there are some core values expected from nurses, such as patient equality, belief in human dignity, honesty, integrity, and the endeavor to prevent and alleviate people’s suffering. I, too, think that a true professional has to do his or her best to practice all of these values on a daily basis. I particularly loved the idea that it is necessary to prevent any personal or professional stresses from influencing the way in which we communicate with the patients.
When we talk about professionalism, leaders are the first people that come to mind. When asked whether she considers the organization’s leaders stewards of health care, my peer doubted. She said that the managers could not be considered the stewards of health care as they do not have a direct connection with patients.
However, she admits that their role is essential as they organize everything within the organization to ensure the best coordination between the patients’ needs and the hospital’s possibilities. Additionally, me peer said that it is not necessary to be a manager to become a leader. I find this opinion rather thoughtful. Indeed, people who motivate us to do our best are real leaders, no matter what their position is.
Another crucial issue concerning leaders, as pointed out by my peer, is the need to exercise professional advocacy and authenticity. She considers this aspect of the leaders’ work important because they should set an example for everyone else, and they should create the most comfortable environment for each employee and patient. My peer emphasizes that a true leader should strive to combine power, influence, authenticity, and advocacy in order to be considered a really good manager.
The responses of my peer are sophisticated and tactful. I enjoyed hearing her opinions on such an essential issue as a professional identity. I cannot but support her opinion that our profession requires the balance of various roles and duties, and the managers should set a good example of how to organize such harmony.
Reference
Grace, P. G. (2017). Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.