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.
Professional Nursing
- Is an art and a science, dominated by an ideal of service in which certain principles are applied in the skillful care of the well and the ill, and through relationship with the client/ patient, significant others, and other members of the health team.
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
- Education. A profession requires an extended education of its members, as well as basic liberal foundation.
- Theory. A profession has a theoretical body of knowledge leading to defined skills, abilities and norms.
- Service. A profession provides basic service.
- Autonomy. Members of a profession have autonomy in decision making and in practice.
- Code of Ethics. The profession as a whole has a code of ethics for practice. A profession has sufficient self-impelling power o retain its members throughout life. It must not be a mere steppingstone to other occupations.
- Caring. The most unique characteristic of nursing as a profession is that, it is a CARING profession.
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 client’s language and support clients decisions.
6. Manager
- makes decisions, coordinates activities of others, allocate resource
- evaluate care and personnel
- Plans, give direction, develop staff, monitor operations, give the rewards fairly and represent 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 assess, prescribe, deliver, and manage care during the preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative phases of a patient’s operative/interventional procedure(s). (Visit ANAA for more details.)
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: Barangay, 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.