Definition Of Professionalism And Professionalism

Professionalism to me is being honest, having a high level of integrity, striving for excellence, respecting others and providing quality care with compassion.

It is important to integrate the concept professionalism into your nursing career because it allows you to flourish personally as a nurse but more importantly allows the patient to receive the care they deserve. Throughout the course of one’s nursing career there will be many slips and falls. Mistakes will happen but we as nurses are able to reflect and learn from them in a

February 2010 This is a companion document to the Codes of Ethics and Professional Conduct for Nurses

What does Professionalism mean to me? Professionalism in my term means it is someone who is very dedicated to their profession. It is an important and great decision to follow by the rules and ethics of professionalism. If we did not have anyone that cared about their profession it would cause a lot of problems in our society today. It could cause a lot of disruption in your workplace. In order to abide by professionalism you must take pride in your job, percieve realistic goals and values, and know what your expectations are.

Nurses must display a knowledge of skills by portraying a functional ability to assess, treat, and prevent illness in the clinical setting. “The nurses are obliged to gain specialized knowledge, skills and training through the rigorous study of biological, physical and behavioral sciences and then use this knowledge to diagnose and treat patients suffering from different ailments. The patients treated must be under the supervision of skilled medical practitioners and the nurse must be equally directed by the expert medical practitioner. The prevention and management of illnesses, injury and ailments also forms some of the major tasks that have to be carried out by nurses. Politeness in expression, compassion for patients and proper uniform are also some of the main parts of professionalism in nursing.” (professonalism in nursing http://www.buzzle.com/articles/professionalism-in-nursing.html)

(p. 750). This is one of many characteristics of nurses that make them very professional in their

I also believe nurses are professionals, and it is vital that nurses portray that role, no matter the circumstances. The nurse that cared for me acted very professional. Although she was funny and down to earth, she portrayed professionalism every time she was in my room. I knew she respected me, my friends and family and that made me respect her even more.

Nursing is an occupation in which professionalism (or lack thereof) can have a significant effect on not only patients and their health, but the nurse’s relationships with colleagues, patients’ families and even their community. A nurse must exemplify professionalism, especially in an environment that creates increased risk for loss of life or further injury. There are many aspects that are involved with professionalism in nursing, and many expectations set up on the nurse.

Professionalism is a very important key in the nursing profession. It is what paints a good image for a business or, in this case, an organization, people will most likely choose the professional organization over the unprofessional, because with the nurses that are professional they have great quality in customer service. Examples being, nurses that are professional aren’t rude or disruptive, they handle business in a kindly manner, following directions and policies etc. Unprofessionalism in nursing practice continues to hinder the expansion of the field. There are many things that nurses do that are highly unprofessional at the workplace. A few major unprofessional mistakes nurses tend to do is, bullying, breaking HIPPA, and behavior. To me, these are the biggest mistakes that really pop out at me.

Professionalism as a whole is expected of everyone, and is not something that should have to be commended, because I feel it is a standard. There are varying degrees of how to act professional, and not everyone has the same opinion on what is professional and what is not. Problems arise when there are differing opinions, because which person is right? It is easy to have a clear picture of what professionalism is when there are actual guidelines in place, such as the licensed practical nurse (LPN) guidelines. These guidelines, or scope of practice is written out by the board of nursing in the state of practice (Potter et al., 2011), and then more specific guidelines are written within individual facilities based on the state.

This paper will firstly analyse the video “Crossing Professional Boundaries as a Registered Nurse” (Donoven, 2015) and from that analysis, unethical nursing practises will be identified and justified as to how they can impact patient safety. Additionally, this paper will discuss how the unprofessional practice can affect patient care and nurses professional image. Furthermore, changes in nurse Nickie’s behaviour and attitude will be reflected upon. The video is composed of four main characters; nurse Nickie, patient Ashleigh, Ashleigh’s brother Will, and Dr. Jacobs.

Everywhere you go and in everything you do, professionalism comes in to account in some way or another. Professionalism has been defined as, “a strict adherence to courtesy, honesty and responsibility when dealing with individuals or other companies in the business environment” (Clarke, 2015). When it comes to the career of nursing, professionalism is taken to a whole other level. Not only does professionalism come in to account with your business professionals and peers, but you have patients with whom professionalism is highly practiced as well. Professionalism in nursing means that you are able to handle all the responsibilities given to you in an efficient and proper way. It means that when you are given an order that needs to be carried out by a doctor or a patient who needs your help, you adhere to what is being expected of you in a timely manner. Physicians put trust into nurses in order to carry out orders that are needed to save patients’ lives. If you’re not looked at as professional and responsible, it is going to be very hard to have a successful career. Responsibility is what nursing is all about. Professionalism in nursing means that along with taking on big responsibilities, you have discipline. Discipline in nursing is crucial to being successful. Not only to keep your patients safe, but so that you personally are on the ball and looked at by others as professional, therefore, making you a great nurse. Professionalism means that you have the

F to define professionalism. He defined professionalism as to conduct to the moral and nursing guidelines of care. Then, he added that professionalism is being courteous, truthful, and honest of what is said and how someone presents themselves. As professionals, we should keep a good attitude, be liable, and take responsibility in holding your license and other accreditations up-to-date. Making every effort to do your best, showing respect, being a leader, and the skills to make good judgments are ways of acting like a professional. Furthermore, he stated that professionalism is an essential component of nursing because professionalism as a nurse is revealed by how you behave and act in the safety and overall health of patients.

In a highly respected profession such as nursing, professionalism is an important element to staying employed and setting one’s self apart from the rest of the applicants when competing for a potential job. By definition professionalism are the qualities and traits that describe a professional. While knowledge is crucial in any profession, according to an article published by the University of Kansas (2012), “all medical professionals must strive to retain those humanistic qualities integrity, respect, and compassion that constitute the essence of professionalism.” Whether you work in a hospital or administration these three qualities encompass the core of nursing and exemplify what it means to be a professional.

In order to define the word professional, it is helpful to comprehend general characteristics typically associated with the term professionalism. These terms consist of poised, qualified, presentable, well spoken, and confident. Through experience and what I have been taught, first impressions can be the key to success. To accomplish this task, dressing in mature and conservative clothing with clean maintained physical appearance gives off the idea that you are put together and responsible. Next to first impression are one’s credentials. In most scenarios, having earned at minimum a high school diploma. In order to reach a higher standard of professional it is helpful to have received a Bachelor degree from a notable college or university. With many factors playing into defining oneself as a professional, look at the steps to success is how to begin.