Nurses make up a great part of the personnel in any medical institution. They have to interact with a great number of patients daily and approach each one of them with undivided attention and empathetic attitude. This profession requires a strong stamina, which bases on an unflinching moral compass. The main principles that help nurses remain professional and efficient are strength, transformation, resilience, innovation, diversity, and equality, abbreviated “STRIDE”.
To explain these principles better, one may group them into pairs, the first being “strength” and “resilience”. The nurse’s profession requires a lot of mental energy and effort as nurses face tragedies caused by illnesses every day. Nurses need to be able to make fast, objective decisions and be autonomous as well (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018). To do that, one should be confident and resilient enough to rely on their internal strength.
Another pair of principles is “transformation” and “innovation”. Nurses should always be open to new medical discoveries (while depending only on reliable scientific research). They should be ready to change their work methods based on those discoveries or the specifics of every individual patient. A nurse’s job is to provide the best medical treatment possible, even if it requires renovating or changing their usual practices.
The last pair of ethical virtues include “diversity” and “equality”. Nursing is a social profession, and those who decide to pursue it should understand that they will face a great variety of people. Each one of the patients has their own background – however, they all deserve kind and respectful treatment. Nurses should always provide patients with quality medical help, regardless of skin color, gender, sexual orientation, age, etc. (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018). Embracing the variety of the human population and agreeing that everyone deserves to be treated decently is one of the basic elements in becoming a professional nurse.
To conclude, “STRIDE” is a list of moral values the nursing professionals must possess or cultivate within themselves to provide sufficient healthcare treatment. It includes being autonomous, confident, persistent, open to change, accepting, and kind to everyone, who needs medical help. These principles are fundamental for understanding the essence of the nursing profession, embracing its challenges and becoming a true professional in the nursing field.
Reference
McDermott-Levy, R., Leffers, J., & Mayaka, J. (2018). Ethical principles and guidelines of global health nursing practice. Nursing Outlook, 66(5), 473–481.