NURSING AS A PROFESSION
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:
- To provide a needed service to the society.
- To advance knowledge in its field.
- To protect its members and make it possible to practice effectively.
Characteristics of a Profession:
- A basic profession requires an extended education of its members, as well as a basic liberal foundation.
- A profession has a theoretical body of knowledge leading to defined skills, abilities and norms.
- A profession provides a specific service.
- Members of a profession have autonomy in decision-making and practice.
- 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:
- Nursing is caring.
- Nursing involves close personal contact with the recipient of care.
- Nursing is concerned with services that take humans into account as physiological, psychological, and sociological organisms.
- Nursing is committed to promoting individual, family, community, and national health goals in its best manner possible.
- Nursing is committed to personalized services for all persons without regard to color, creed, social or economic status.
- Nursing is committed to involvement in ethical, legal, and political issues in the delivery of health care.
Personal Qualities of a Nurse:
- Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.
- Must be physically and mentally fit.
- 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.
