NURSING AS A PROFESSION

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Profession - is a calling that requires special knowledge, skill and preparation.

An occupation that requires advanced knowledge and skills and that it grows out of society’s     needs for special services.

Criteria of Profession:

1. To provide a needed service to the society.
2. To advance knowledge in its field.
3. To protect its members and make it possible to practice effectively.

Characteristics of a Profession:

1. A basic profession requires an extended education of its members, as well as a basic liberal foundation.
2. A profession has a theoretical body of knowledge leading to defined skills, abilities and norms.
3. A profession provides a specific service.
4. Members of a profession have autonomy in decision-making and practice.
5. The profession has a code of ethics for practice.

NURSING >is a disciplined involved in the delivery of health care to the society.

>is a helping profession

>is service-oriented to maintain health and well-being of people.

>is an art and a science.

NURSE - originated from a Latin word NUTRIX, to nourish.

Characteristics of Nursing:

1. Nursing is caring.
2. Nursing involves close personal contact with the recipient of care.
3. Nursing is concerned with services that take humans into account as physiological, psychological, and sociological organisms.
4. Nursing is committed to promoting individual, family, community, and national health goals in its best manner possible.
5. Nursing is committed to personalized services for all persons without regard to color, creed, social or economic status.
6. Nursing is committed to involvement in ethical, legal, and political issues in the delivery of health care.

Personal Qualities of a Nurse:

1. Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.
2. Must be physically and mentally fit.
3. Must have a license to practice nursing in the country.

· A professional nurse therefore, is a person who has completed a basic nursing education program and is licensed in his country to practice professional nursing.

Roles of a Professional

1. Caregiver/ Care provider

• the traditional and most essential role
• functions as nurturer, comforter, provider
• “mothering actions” of the nurse
• provides direct care and promotes comfort of client
• activities involves knowledge and sensitivity to what matters and what is important to clients
• show concern for client welfare and acceptance of the client as a person

2. Teacher

• provides information and helps the client to learn or acquire new knowledge and technical skills
• encourages compliance with prescribed therapy.
• promotes healthy lifestyles
• interprets information to the client

3. Counselor

• helps client to recognize and cope with stressful psychologic or social problems; to develop an improve interpersonal relationships and to promote personal growth
• provides emotional, intellectual to and psychologic support
• focuses on helping a client to develop new attitudes, feelings and behaviors rather than promoting intellectual growth.
• encourages the client to look at alternative behaviors recognize the choices and develop a sense of control.

4. Change agent

• initiate changes or assist clients to make modifications in themselves or in the system of care.

5. Client advocate

• involves concern for and actions in behalf of the client to bring about a change.
• promotes what is best for the client, ensuring that the client’s needs are met and protecting the client’s right.
• provides explanation in clients language and support clients decisions.

6. Manager

• makes decisions, coordinates activities of others, allocate resource
• evaluate care and personnel
• plans, give direction, develop staff, monitors operations, give the rewards fairly and represents both staff and administrations as needed.

7. Researcher

• participates in identifying significant researchable problems
• participates in scientific investigation and must be a consumer of research findings
• must be aware of the research process, language of research, a sensitive to issues related to protecting the rights of human subjects.

Expanded role as of the nurse

1 Clinical Specialists- is a nurse who has completed a master’s degree in specialty and has considerable clinical expertise in that specialty. She provides expert care to individuals, participates in educating health care professionals and ancillary, acts as a clinical consultant and participates in research.

2. Nurse Practitioner- is a nurse who has completed either as certificate program or a master’s degree in a specialty and is also certified by the appropriate specialty organization. She is skilled at making nursing assessments, performing P. E., counseling, teaching and treating minor and self- limiting illness.

3. Nurse-midwife- a nurse who has completed a program in midwifery; provides prenatal and postnatal care and delivers babies to woman with uncomplicated pregnancies.

4. Nurse anesthetist- a nurse who completed the course of study in an anesthesia school and carries out pre-operative status of clients.

5. Nurse Educator- A nurse usually with advanced degree, who beaches in clinical or educational settings, teaches theoretical knowledge, clinical skills and conduct research.

6. Nurse Entrepreneur- a nurse who has an advanced degree, and manages health-related business.

7. Nurse administrator- a nurse who functions at various levels of management in health settings; responsible for the management and administration of resources and personnel involved in giving patient care.

Fields and Opportunities in Nursing

1. Hospital/Institutional Nursing – a nurse working in an institution with patients

Example: rehabilitation, lying-in, etc.

2. Public Health Nursing/Community Health Nursing – usually deals with families and communities. (no confinement, OPD only)

Example: brgy. Health Center

3. Private Duty/special Duty Nurse – privately hired

4. Industrial/Occupational Nursing – a nurse working in factories, office, companies

5. Nursing Education – nurses working in school, review center and in hospital as a CI.

6. Military Nurse – nurses working in a military base.

7. Clinic Nurse – nurses working in a private and public clinic.

8. Independent Nursing Practice – private practice, BP monitoring, home service.

- Independent Nurse Practitioner.

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