Qualities of a Professional Nurse

The transition has never been a smooth experience. Transitioning from a student nurse to a registered nurse comes with emotions like fear, uncertainty and a lot of anxiety. This is precipitated by the fact that as a student much of the training is theoretical with minimal practical exposure. The practical lessons learnt in the nursing school did not involve human beings. Now with the fact that the student will soon be attending to human beings who may get hurt or even die in their hands brings the whole aspect of fear.

It is at this period that the student feels unsure and uncertainty crops up raising a concern about the applicability of the skills learnt in the classroom. The new nurse wonders in seeing the nurses who have been long in the profession working with ease and wonders whether they will themselves ever get there.  However, this confidence and competence come with time. This write up will look at the various qualities that a professional nurse should have, reflect on how to develop the professional character and generally what is required in the transition period.

Nursing is a career that is rewarding but still comes with some commitments calling for an exceptional trait for one to be successful. Any aspiring student nurse needs to understand that nursing requires one to do things the right way. The way a patient is handled contributes to the healing process in a significant way.  According to Yelland et al., (2016) the nurse needs to possess a caring attitude, one should be able to comfort the patients who are ill, scared and vulnerable. Deep in their mind and heart, they should have the patients need. The patient should feel loved and should find a friend in the nurse. The profession also requires one to be exemplarily organised (Plamondon, Bottorff & Cole, 2015). This is because things should be done at the right time and on the right way. Any deviation from this can be detrimental to a patient’s health.

The nurse should be able to endure physically and emotionally; this is because in nursing there is much to be done, empathy to be offered. Hence one requires to develop strong stamina and be in the right wear to avoid any physical strain.  Kerr, Klim, Kelly and McCann (2016) contends that documenting is a crucial rule in the nursing career; not even the slightest detail should be assumed. The small details may mean saving or losing a life. Even though all of us are human beings and face challenges at times, a nurse can’t afford to be emotionally unstable, the patients are vulnerable and are looking up to the nurse with all the confidence to offer stability. The nurse should apply all the relaxing methods available to help them stay stable and focused.

Developing Professional Character

A nurse should possess excellent communication skills so that whatever needs to be communicated either to a colleague or the patient is clear. Wrong information may result in wrong processes and finally wrong outcomes. Nursing is a career for quick thinkers; the time one takes to make a decision may determine either death or life to a patient. One needs to be knowledgeable, have some experience and be an expert. The nurse should be in a position to make a swift decision.

The nursing profession generally means serving others. As a professional, I believe in nursing and helping other people who are in need.   Lima, Newall, Jordan, Hamilton and Kinney (2016) notes that nurses are health care professionals who possess vast knowledge. The only contradiction is that the public does not value the competencies and the skills the nurses have garnered through education and innovation. The public image is diverse (Hoeve, Jansen & Roodbol, 2014). This has been precipitated by the fact that nurses are not found in public discussing their profession. The nurses should put a little more effort on communicating their level of professionalism to the public. They should also make themselves more visible.

There is the gender stereotype where most people believe that nursing is for women while this is a profession like any other like engineering or teaching (Juliff, Russell & Bulsara, 2016). They should use the social media platforms to increase their communication with the public. The nurses self-structure comes from the education, work environment, work values, the social tradition and cultural values (McFarland & Wehbe-Alamah, 2014).  Even though nurses are professionals, studies show that people are still not conversant with this and therefore there is still stereotypes in the profession like the gender. While they are subordinates to the medical doctors, the nurses should perform their tasks exemplary and overcome the dissatisfaction that comes due to hierarchy and subordination.

Traditionally people view nursing as a profession that does not require many qualifications and sees it as a domestic duty that can be done by anyone. Any nursing practitioner should be able to overcome this. To usher ready workforce in the nursing career, the faculty should teach and healthily present nursing work. This will help the students overcome the shadows presented in the past perspectives and overcome the hurt. The nurses should increase their visibility which will give confidence to the community about nurses’ capability to influence the health care system positively. The Nursing theory comes in to assist the student nurse to understand what they know and what is yet to be learnt. Harrison (2017) observes that the nursing theory, its importance to practice gives nurses a sense of identity, helps health care professionals, patients and managers understand the contribution of the nurses’ services in the health care system. This also helps the nurses understand their roles and their purpose in the health care. With this understanding, they will not be defined by other means.

Transition Period

Some of the theories under the nursing theory that informs nursing practice are grand theories which present a framework. The framework provides the nurse with a background to draw and identify the fundamental concepts of the discipline. The Middle range theory is precise, and its function is to predict, explain and describe phenomena affecting a patient. Nursing practice theory is limited and can only be used in a specific community or discipline since patients come from different communities and each community has its unique challenges.  The theory identifies particular goals of health care and shows how they can be achieved.

Nursing as a profession requires one to possess the right qualifications, skills and have the ability to provide high-quality health care to patients. It is against these requirements that one is allowed to practice. These are things that I have acquired during my training. The medical profession exists to solve problems of ill-health in human beings. In acute health care settings, there are many patients with complicated health issues. Parange and Marks (2016) notes that patients stay in the health facility at times may aggravate the illness rather than manage it. Most often, patients at risk are not adequately identified and managed.

 The patients expect quality services that meet their needs. The services should ensure safety to the patient while the risks are mitigated (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia [NMBA], 2015). As a student nurse who is joining the profession, I will endeavour to use my nursing skills and conform to the relevant legislation. I will be keen on understanding the cues displayed by the patient, process the information that I have obtained, understand the situation of the patient and then plan and implement necessary interventions. I will after that evaluate the outcomes, reflect on them and learn from them so that I can perfect my skills. All this process will be backed up by detailed documentation as provided for in the professional code of conduct and relevant guidelines and standards. Since clinical decisions cannot be made by a single individual, I will work together with other colleagues.

Most importantly trying to learn as much as possible from those who have experience in the field. As I endeavour to learn and provide my inputs, I will ensure that the process of communication is seamless so that what is intended to be done is what exactly happens (Mary, 2017). My in-depth knowledge of the nursing profession will enable me to deliver quality care in whatever context that I find myself in. Adaptability to different environments will ensure that I remained sensitive and focused on the needs of the patient (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia [NMBA], 2010). Since health is a dynamic career, I will keep abreast with new developments in the industry through intensive research in my specific areas as well as furnish my skills, so that being able to practice the full scope within my training.

Nursing Theory and Education

Conclusion

Though nursing is an exciting profession, its demands can be overwhelming. It requires competency and an in-depth understanding of the profession and applicable laws. The professional standards are there to ensure that quality and safe care is delivered to the patient. Their strict adherence can give any practising nurse sufficient reasons to smile as they practice the profession. For a new graduate joining the profession, there is no cause to fear. The profession has a system that enables a smooth transition from a student nurse to a practising nurse. The management within the health system has ensured that the new nurse will be able to deliver in their career. As they walk through the profession under the supervision of competent registered nurses, they can sharpen their skills.

References

Harrison, P. (2017). Evolution of nursing theory and education. In Australian and New Zealand Fundamentals of Nursing (pp. 2-26). Cengage Learning Australia.

Hoeve, Y. T., Jansen, G., & Roodbol, P. (2014). The nursing profession: public image, self?concept and professional identity. A discussion paper. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(2), 295-309.

Juliff, D., Russell, K., & Bulsara, C. (2016). Male or nurse what comes first? Challenges men face on their journey to nurse registration. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 34(2).

Kerr, D., Klim, S., Kelly, A. M., & McCann, T. (2016). Impact of a modified nursing handover model for improving nursing care and documentation in the emergency department: A pre?and post?implementation study. International journal of nursing practice, 22(1), 89-97.

Lima, S., Newall, F., Jordan, H. L., Hamilton, B., & Kinney, S. (2016). Development of competence in the first year of graduate nursing practice: a longitudinal study. Journal of advanced nursing, 72(4), 878-888.

Mary McGuiness MEd, B. A. (2017). 28 THE AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPNOTHERAPY & HYPNOSIS Volume 39 Number 1 Autumn 2017 Abstract Meeting the needs of individual clients is always a challenge. Clinical hypnotherapists can gain valuable insights by exploring two closely related theories that explain natural differences in people-Carl Jung’s Theory of Psychological Type and David Keirsey’s Temperament Theory. These two theories come from very different histories but they overlap significantly and work well together. Temperament is a …. Australian Journal of Clinical Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis, 39(1), 28-43.

McFarland, M. R., & Wehbe-Alamah, H. B. (2014). Leininger’s culture care diversity and universality. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2010) ‘A nurse’s guide to professional boundaries’. Retrieved 05 January 2015, www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-Guidelines-Statements/Professionalstandards.aspx

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2015) ‘Supervision guidelines for nursing and midwifery.Retrieved25September2015’,www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Registration-and Endorsement/reentry-to-practice.aspx

Parange, N., & Marks, K. (2016). Teaching clinical diagnostic reasoning and research?mindedness in obstetric and gynaecologic sonography online using Research Skills Development Framework. Sonography, 3(4), 154-159.

Plamondon, K. M., Bottorff, J. L., & Cole, D. C. (2015). Analyzing data generated through deliberative dialogue: bringing knowledge translation into qualitative analysis. Qualitative health research, 25(11), 1529-1539.

Yelland, J., Weetra, D., Stuart?Butler, D., Deverix, J., Leane, C., Ah Kit, J., … & Brown, S. (2016). Primary health care for Aboriginal women and children in the year after birth: findings from a population?based study in South Australia. Australian and New Zealand journal of public health, 40(5), 418-423.