Introduction
Nursing is among the many careers where professionalism is of vital significance. The nursing profession depends on practitioners’ operation in a manner that characterizes the virtuousness of the wider discipline since all nurses have a code of ethics. Professionalism among nurses is imperative for enhanced patient outcome, and nurse educators ought to put emphasis on this fact for nursing to uphold professional practices (Balang, Burton, & Barlow, 2017). The nursing industry is extensive, comprises of different people in diverse situations and locations; this is where professionalism comes in handy attributable to the necessity of an element that connects all nurses. There is a fundamental need for human dignity and correspondence, which is a section of the anticipations of professionalism in nursing.
Professionalism Concerns
While undertaking their roles in a bid to ensure professionalism, nurses face numerous challenges. One of the greatest concerns is the diverse levels of education among the practising nurses (Yoder, 2017). Different educational levels might create a division among nurses if they do not strive to lessen its impact. In addition, the issue of gender may act as a challenge to nursing practice. For a long time, nursing has been perceived as a feminine profession. Nonetheless, in recent times, men are pursuing this career in a great way. This should be encouraged as a means of creating diversity and a wide pool of talent. The existing challenges should be carefully circumvented to provide grounds for nurses to put efforts into the enhancement of professionalism and reputation.
Patients have a belief that nurses in any place are competent and professional. This calls for nurses to uphold professionalism all the time so that patients remain assured of the availability of quality care wherever they are (Westrick, 2016). When patients are in need of the care of nurses, they do not have to know the nurse who will be attending to them in person, but they are always confident of receiving quality care irrespective of who the nurse is. Such confidence amounts to the professional reputation that nursing has acquired, and it is imperative that nurses continue to defend it. Professionalism in nursing compels nurses to comprehend that their discipline stretches past the individual and their joint effort is what ensures the positive patient outcome. On this note, professionalism drives nurses’ comprehension that they are a team and must operate jointly, not just with one another, but with other health professionals (from doctors to administrators) as well. Professional nursing practice is, therefore, having an undying dedication, passion, care, strong moral principles, sustained development of others and self, responsibility and liability for perceptive practice, and demonstration of the spirit of teamwork and flexibility.
Whenever people see nurses, they associate them with attributes such as patience and kindness. Though these are some of the vital qualities of nurses, they have to go further while seeking to maintain professionalism (Rexwinkel, Haenen, & Pilot, 2013). For instance, they require strong values and commitment to work in the best interest of patients at all times. Much anticipations rest on the shoulders of nurses, and this obliges them to go through proper training and operate in line with professional directives set for them. With the continued operation, nurses develop experience and skills for excellent services. This encompasses having a profound understanding of the theoretical frameworks that shape the profession. For instance, nurses should seek comprehension of different theories of care and their influence on the improvement of nursing practice. This ensures that nurses are in a position of making excellent decisions in their daily duties, which results in their overall professionalism.
Positive nurses’ state of mind is crucial for professionalism in nursing. Attitude is essential to the success of any endeavour, but it is vital to operating competently in the nursing profession. All nurses have to bear in mind that although their tasks may be stressful, it usually does not equal the anxiety generated by being a patient who is not confident of obtaining quality care or having hospitalized loved ones and not sure whether they are receiving proper medical attention. Though it is natural for nurses to become overwhelmed by their undertakings, it is essential that they do not allow it to influence the manner in which they provide patient care (Pan, Norris, Liang, Li, & Ho, 2013). If they choose to become dismissive or bad-tempered, the patients will feel disregarded and this could affect their attitude negatively or make them suffer desperation and dejection (Bisco, Cole, & Karl, 2017). Nurses must make efforts to approach all patients in an affable, cheerful, and caring style while leaving their personal interests behind when at work.
Integrity is vital for facilitated nursing professionalism. Similar to the way nurses are required to understand when to pull out in instances of conflict, they also have to be aware of when to stand firm. Professionalism demands nurses to operate as advocates for patients and must take up the responsibility of speaking out whenever they recognize an issue regarding the condition of a patient or find that he/she is not being given the required treatment. If the circumstances demand, nurses should report the occurrences of neglect or carelessness to the management (Pareek & Batra, 2015). On the same note, nurses have to examine their behaviour carefully while regularly assessing whether they are caring for patients in the best possible way, irrespective of being exhausted or stressed (Kim et al., 2017). Similarly, there is a need, to be honest with patients regarding diagnosis, prospects, and course of treatment.
Nurses must adhere to patient equality in their practice. Since nurses give care to patients from whichever race, religious background, nationality, or level of education, they have to treat them uniformly irrespective of aspects such as age or gender. Nurses have to avoid making presumptions concerning patients anchored in their looks (Öhman, Keisu, & Enberg, 2017). In its place, they should take time to study patients’ circumstances and history in an effort of providing care that best suits them (Lombarts, Plochg, Thompson, & Arah, 2014). For instance, if a nurse has earlier experienced problems while attending to an elderly patient, he/she must avoid assuming that all geriatric patients are problematical. Rather, a nurse ought to view every patient’s case as completely different from any other and strive to accord them utmost respect and concern.
Conclusion
Nursing is amid the numerous careers where professionalism is fundamental. The nursing sector is widespread, incorporates people from diverse situations and locations; this is where professionalism becomes pertinently linked to the requirement of a component that connects all nurses. Professionalism in nursing calls for endless enthusiasm, passion, care, strong ethical principles, constant development, responsibility, liability for perceptive practice, and expression of the spirit of solidarity and flexibility. Professional nurses should support workplace diversity and have a positive state of mind, patience, kindness, integrity, adherence to patient equality, strong values, and commitment to operate in the best interest of patients all the time.
References
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