Professional Identity In Nursing Practice: A Case Study

Nurses develop professional skills through a process called “Professionalization.” Ghadirian uses four factors to describe this; cognitive dimension, attitudinal dimension and psychomotor dimension. They then further describe the cognitive dimension as the “professional knowledge” a nurse must have (2014). Without knowledge of illness or the human body, a nurse can not practice professionally. Ghadirian then suggests that even with extensive professional knowledge, a nurse can not be professional without the ideals and ethics of a nurse, or the ability to provide care (2014). A nurse can not be professional without all the dimensions. A nurse must have the values of a nurse, knowledge of a nurse and the ability to provide care.

“..the transformational leader articulates the vision in a clear and appealing manner, explains how to attain the vision, acts confidently and optimistically, expresses confidence in the followers, emphasizes values with symbolic actions, leads by example, and empowers followers to achieve the vision (Yukl, 2002)

Professional identity has become a necessary concept to employees who are working in a health and human-serviced environment because it comprehends the image and perceptions of individuals that has based on the way she/ he performs a job or operates within their career field (Brott & Myers, 1999; Smith & Robinson, 1995). Therefore, in nursing occupation, professional identity is considered to be the most important concept that to prove their patients their skills and knowledge in their field. This essay further focuses on the precise definition of professional identity as well as nursing identity, the key industry and quality agencies and association that set standards, guidelines, and codes of practice in nursing and how industry and professional agencies monitor the quality of care and services in professional nursing.

Transformational Leadership empowers or enables its followers. The leader engages with the follower in a way that both the leader and follower transcend to a higher level of motivation and morality (Nicholls, 1994).

Becoming a transformational leader can occur either because the leader has a model or mentor that is a transformational leader, because he/she is a born transformational leader, or through reflection. Senge (1990) wrote that “Learning through reflection is about finding the creative tension...between an understanding of current reality and a vision of desirable practice” (as cited in Johns, 2004, p. 24). In addition, Schuster (1994) noted that one who desires to become a transformational leader can cultivate certain qualities that are characteristic of such a leader: a stimulating vision for the organization, honesty, empathy, authenticity, the ability to defer self-interest to ensure that others are recognized, a holistic concern for the organization, the ability to share power with others, and the ability to develop others (as cited in Johns, 2004, p. 25). The transformational leader is also an effective communicator who persists during hard times and still has the courage to continue to move ahead even when fatigued and encountering difficulties (Schuster, 1994, as cited in Johns, 2004, p. 25).

Throughout the history of nursing, nurses made vast strides to help it grow into the profession it is known to be today. Without clearly defined education and roles, the role of caring for the sick aimlessly moved amongst different groups of people from deaconesses, knights, nuns, and inmates until institutions were established for organized teaching programs. Today, individuals are eligible to take the Registered Nurse (RN) licensure test as soon as they complete the minimum of an Associates Degree in Nursing. However, there has been an increasing push for “making the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), or equivalent degree, the standard for entry-into-practice” (Altmann, 2011). Aiken et al. reported that recent studies indicate a decrease in morbidity, mortality, and failure-to-rescue rates in hospitals that employ larger percentages of baccalaureate prepared nurses (as cited in Altmann, 2011, p. 257). In addition, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recently released a report, The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health, and recommended the increase of BSN prepared nurses from 50% to 80% by 2020 (2011). In order for nurses to advance in the healthcare environment as professionals, they should be educated to the appropriate degree and be committed to lifelong learning. This paper will discuss professional identity in nursing and the implications of a bachelor prepared nurse.

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.

When I walked into the facility, I noticed a client was waving at me to come over to the client. I walked over to the client and the client started spelling out my name in sign language. I had taken a sign language camp several years ago. I started to do sign language with the client. To see the smile of the clients’ face was uplifting. Having this experience, I was able to establish my professional identity by communicating with a deaf client who wanted someone to sit down and play a game of Monopoly. As stated in the article Nursing Professional Identity: an infant or the one with Alzheimer’s, Professional identity includes acquiring insight to professional functioning, creating professional ideals and values. It can be defined as attitudes,

There are many models of leadership that exist across a range of fields (e.g. social work, education, psychology, business, etc.). The ability to transform an organization successfully requires a different set of attitudes and skills. Transformational leadership is an approach where a leader utilizes inspiration, charisma, individualized attention, and intellectual stimulation with their employees (Iachini, Cross, & Freedman, 2015, p. 651). Transformational leadership helps to clarify organizational vision, inspires employees to attain objectives, empowers employees, encourages employees to take risks, and advocates the seeking of alternative solutions to challenges in the workplace (Transformational Leadership, 2015). It allows the leader to engage and motivate each follower identify with the organization’s values and goals.

To achieve optimum results as a leader, a leader must produce a clear and vigorous plan for to stimulate higher performances from a group. As well as incorporating humility and professional will to lead a team or an individual. One of the forms of leadership that achieves this level of compassion for an individual’s progress and the advancement towards a goal can be characterized a transformational leadership. A transformational leader also, “creates valuable and positive change in the followers with the end goal of developing followers into leaders.” (Transformational

Transformational Leadership can play a role in creating a successful team. It can also be the process that changes and transforms people dealing with emotions, values, ethics, and standards. Transformational Leadership is the process whereby a person engages others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower (Northhouse , 186). This applies to a team because you always have to be able to connect and motivate others

To establish core concepts from which to proceed, the review first sought a homogenous grounding in the definitions of profession, professional nursing, and professional identity. This was followed by a deeper exploration of studies and theories regarding what is currently known or believed about the origins of professional identity, and the continuum of its development in the nurse, from student to practicing professional. Of specific interest would be any evidence of previously identified internal or external factors that are theorized or known to have an impact on professional identity development in nurses.

Transformational leadership is defined as having four conceptually distinct elements: charismatic leadership/idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass, 1996). Servant leadership has

Transformational leadership. Burns (1978) is recognized as one of the earliest theorist on transformational leadership, who introduced transformational leadership over 30 years ago. Transformational leaders are perceived as leaders who uplift their employee morale, subsequently uplifting the entire organizational. Transformational leaders are known by their capacity to inspire followers to forgo self-interests in achieving superior results for the organization (Clawson, 2006). Avolio and Yammarino (2002) shared Bass’s explanation of transformational leadership as leaders who act as agents of change that stimulate, and transform followers’ attitudes, beliefs, and motivate from lower to higher level of arousal.

A TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADER is a person who stimulates and inspires followers to achieve extraordinary outcomes (Robbins, 2007)It has been shown to influence organisational members by transforming their values and priorities while motivating them to perform beyond their expectations (Rowold, 2007)Increased levels of job satisfaction & reduced turnover intentions are consequences of transformational leadership. It is all about leadership that creates positive change in the followers whereby they take care of each other’s interests and act in the interestsof the groupas a whole (Warrilow, 2012)