PROFESSIONALISM

Roselle Ann S.Munar

MAN-Medical Surgical Nursing 1A
Foundations in Nursing Education
Union Christian College
Introduction
Nurses bring knowledge, Leadership, vital expertise to expanding roles that affect increased
participation, responsibility and rewards. Professionalism plays an important role in clinical
nursing. However a clear understanding of nursing professionalism is lacking. As they say, It is
not the job you do but it is how you do the job. This involves the consistency in achieving high
standards to whatever your role, profession or position.
It has been recognised as fundamental to medical practice, yet it has remained one of the most
intangible and difficult areas within both undergraduate and postgraduate training. The
assessment of professionalism and professional behaviour must be carefully constructed to
enable us to understand both the origins of professionalism and the responsibilities of the
professional.
Discussion
Professionalism in Nursing to improve nurses autonomy and empowerment, to establish nursing
care with standards and improve quality services. How can professionalism be evaluated in
nursing clinical practice? Given that the meaning of professionalism varies across time, contexts,
or cultures, it is difficult to define, quantify or measure professionalism.
A profession can be defined as ‘a vocation with a body of knowledge and skills that is put into
service for the good of others and the welfare of society’. If we accept this definition then
medical profession is an archetypal profession (Arnold Citation2002; Bloom Citation2002).
Professionalism in nursing is how well a health care professional embodies the core values of
integrity, responsibility, advocacy and accountability while providing top-quality care to
patients.
Here are ways nurses can uphold professionalism in their workplace:
 Attends patients with compassion

Compassion includes listening to patients empathetically and validating their experiences,

having patience when attending to individuals and advocating for patient needs and
preferences. Demonstrating compassion towards patients and their families can improve
patient health outcomes and hasten recovery. Compassion in health care also includes
developing a bond with patients and their families, identifying their needs and using a
gentle voice and body language to in still confidence in them.

 Communicate Effectively
 Effective communication skills with other members of their health care team. Good
communication may help them describe changes in a patient's condition or to ask for help
with completing tasks.

 Have a positive attitude

Patients may respond to your positive attitude by feeling comforted and assured of your
ability to care for them. It also can improve your connections with patients and
coworkers.

 Attend to patients with compassion

Compassion in health care also includes developing a bond with patients and their
families, identifying their needs and using a gentle voice and body language to instill
confidence in them. This can help them attend to their patients' emotional needs,
especially during critical times.

 Deliver Top-Quality care

To deliver top-quality care, nurses follow evidence-based guidelines for practice and take
an individualized, patient-centered approach, instead of a more generalized approach. By
using their resources, including their knowledge, training and team of health care
specialists, nurses can ensure they meet their patients' needs for physical and emotional
care.

 Collaborate with others

If a nurse makes a mistake, such as recording an inaccurate detail on a patient's record,

they can show accountability by contacting the appropriate person to revise the mistake.
They also can respond to mistakes by offering solutions to resolve problems. Nurses can
also demonstrate accountability by knowing their limits and seeking help when they
could use it.
 Dress Professionally
Dressing professionally can help you feel prepared for your work shift. For example,
having a routine for getting dressed before work may help you feel mentally focused and
ready to work. Nurses show professionalism by maintaining good personal hygiene and
dressing and presenting themselves professionally at the workplace.

 Stay knowledgeable about standards for Best practice

Nurses can improve their knowledge, which can empower them to make more effective
decisions at work. Nurses also may join professional organizations in their specialties of
interest to stay abreast with the latest updates. Nurses can demonstrate commitment to
their work by paying attention to the changing standards and actively working to expand
their knowledge.
 Setting a high standards of ethics

Nurses can also uphold ethics by behaving with honesty and integrity in the workplace.
They try to be fair when they discharge their duties and responsibilities, which include
ensuring all patients receive the necessary care.

Counterargument

This concept briefly discusses the idea that healthcare workers might object to providing
specific services because they are against their professional judgement, they want to
maintain a specific reputation, or they have pragmatic reasons. Reputation here is not
simply understood as being in good standing with a professional body. Rather, reputation
is treated in the sense that a person might wish to be known for providing a specific type,
quality, and style of service. Professionalism is understood as acting according to the
philosophical and scientific principles that are on the basis of healthcare (such as acting
for the benefit of the patient’s health and following well- evidenced treatment pathways).

Conclusion
This study offers a theoretical definition and conceptual model of nursing
professionalism that may be applied to develop standardized assessment tools or nursing
professionalism programs. The criteria for professional nursing practice include
intellectual work, providing a unique service, an expanding body of knowledge, personal
responsibility to the public, an extended period of education that includes theory and
practice, autonomy, a sense of altruism and commitment.
Nursing as a profession is accountable for establishing and maintaining standards that
promote safe and effective care. Every member of the profession must practice as a
professional and contribute to nursing as a profession. Professional standards provide the
framework for the development of competency statements thus, through empowerment,
both nurses and clients can achieve their professional and personal goals.

References

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Patricia K. Ladner