PATH 405 Professional Values And Goals Paper

Baccalaureate education includes the development of professional values and value-based behavior (AACN, 2008).

Reflect upon your nursing career through appreciative inquiry.

  • Drawing on your own life stories and experiences, what does a nursing career mean to you?
  • How does your nursing practice parallel the ANA (2015) Code of Ethics? List 4 specific examples from the Code of Ethics.
  • What motivates you to remain in the nursing profession? Give an example through a personal story and what you learned that motivates you as a registered nurse.
  • Develop 3 short-term and 3 long-term goals that emphasize your unique strengths.
  • How will a BSN degree impact your short-term and long-term goals?
  • Be creative and talk about your personal journey as a nurse. Include a personal nursing philosophy in the reflection.

Resources:

  • The American Association of Nursing (ANA) website; search for “Code of Ethics”

Additional Instructions:

  • All submissions should have a title page and reference page.
  • Utilize a minimum of two scholarly resources.
  • Adhere to grammar, spelling and punctuation criteria.
  • Adhere to APA compliance guidelines.
  • Adhere to the chosen Submission Option for Delivery of Activity guidelines.

Professional Roles and Values Sample Paper

Section A

Dorothea Orem’s self-care deficit nursing theory is a widely used theory in nursing practice. The theory holds that patients are willing to cater to their needs, and nurses bridge the gap where they cannot meet their needs (Fernades et al., 2019). Thus, nurses perform a comprehensive patient assessment to determine a patient’s needs, which inform the nursing interventions.

Nursing interventions thus differ depending on individual patients’ needs. Using the theory ensures that nurses provide only the necessary services to the patients without indulging in activities the patient can do for themselves. In addition, the theory involves the patient in their care and thus promotes cooperation and better health outcomes.

The self-care deficit theory is much applicable to nursing practice because the nursing profession is patient centered. Nurses provide care to the patients to ensure they regain their normal healthy state. Allowing patients to perform activities can promote self-reliance and rehabilitation (Fernades et al., 2019). 

Patient education, an integral part of the theory, ensures patient empowerment which improves patient satisfaction. In addition, nurses’ workload is common; restricting practice to what the patient needs relieves the burden and promotes job satisfaction. The theory is widely used in informing the nursing process and care interventions in nursing practice.

Section B

Florence Nightingale and Virginia Henderson are famous nursing historical figures, and their contributions greatly influenced nursing practice and nursing education. Florence Nightingale was the first nursing theorist and developed the environmental adaptation model. Nightingale and her colleagues helped war victims in the Crimean, which was the beginning of the nursing profession. According to Nightingale, a nurse should utilize the environment to assist in a patient’s recovery. 

According to Peres et al. (2021), Nightingale’s model outlines the role of a nurse as modifying environmental conditions to enhance the full recovery of a patient. These environmental factors include light, air, clean water, cleanliness, and basic sanitation. Henderson emphasized the importance of promoting patient independence to ensure the patient can adequately take care of themselves at home. She also developed fifteen components based on human needs.

According to Indra (2018), Henderson’s theory outlines three nurses’ roles: performing activities for the patient, helping patients perform some activities, and doing some activities in collaboration with the patient. These roles are geared towards promoting patients’ independence. Unlike Nightingale, Henderson believed that patient care goes beyond hospital settings. In addition, the components of Henderson’s theory encompass the holistic approach in patient care, unlike Nightingale’s components which focus on the environment.

The two nursing theorists greatly influence my nursing practice. According to Henderson, patient care is holistic. It should encompass all aspects of the patient: spiritual, physiologic, physical, and psychologic, and thus, I focus on holistic patient care, as supported by Indra (2018). The two theorists also influence my practice in that all my interventions are geared towards the wellness of the patients and their families. 

In addition, they outline the importance of patient empowerment which forms the bulk of patient education and their collaboration of care in my professional practice (Indra, 2018). As a professional, I also ensure I recognize and alter environmental and human factors affecting a patient’s health as reflected in the two theories to ensure patients recover and obtain their optimum health status.

Section C

The state board of nursing is a governmental licensing and regulatory body that focuses on setting standards of nursing practice, licensing nurses, defining nurses’ scope of practice, and handling disciplinary cases when standards’ violations occur. American Nurses Association is a national organization for nurses that focuses on nurses’ and the nursing profession’s interests. The state board of nursing focuses on the patient’s welfare while ANA focuses on the nurses’ welfare.

The state board of nursing provides clear guidelines on nurses’ conduct to ensure patient safety. They also conduct licensure exams to ensure only qualified nurses are licensed to deliver patient care. The board also determines the education of nurse practitioners and registered nurses. It thus ensures continuity of education and updates nurses’ current and evidence-based practices. ANA empowers nurses and enables them to fulfill their obligation to society despite the challenging ethical issues in healthcare settings (Ziebarth & Solari, 2020). ANA also empowers nurses in various other areas to improve the quality of healthcare they deliver.

Nurses must periodically renew their practice licenses as a requirement from the state. The renewal process and requirements depend on the type of license a nurse wishes to renew. The State Board of Nursing requires nurses to have completed 16 hours of board-approved continuing education forums every two years, a one-hour forum on HIV/AIDS, two hours of medical errors, and a one-hour forum on domestic violence (Florida Board of Nursing, 2021). The nurse is also required to submit an application and pay the requisite application fee. Failure to maintain license requirements in the states attracts heavy financial fines and possible withdrawal of the license from the nurse.

As a nurse in a compact state, one may hold only one compact license and many other non-compact single-state licenses. In contrast, a nurse in a non-compact state can hold many licenses from any state, but all licenses will be single-state licenses. The significant difference between compact and non-compact-state licenses requirements is residence. To get a nursing compact state license, one must be a state resident, unlike with the non-compact state licenses, which do not require an individual to be a resident in that state. Also, only nurses who qualify for a compact state license can apply for a multistate license.

Section D

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) share fundamental interests. However, they differ in that the FDA controls marketing and medical product use while CMS regulates reimbursements for healthcare products and healthcare insurance coverage to vulnerable groups. The two institutions’ guidelines showcase the safe medications for use in patients, and safe practices care. 

They also guide the nurses’ role as patient advocates. The nurse’s role in the case of alternative medicine is to confirm the approval of the medicine by the FDA and before administering it. The nurse as a patient advocate should not deny patients approved treatment alternatives.

Section E

The nursing practice act is a state-specific act that protects the public (patients) by regulating nursing practice by setting standards, licensing procedures, and taking disciplinary measures (Huynh & Haddad, 2020). The act ensures that nurses provide the best quality and safe care by following the rules and regulations. In Florida, the NPA defines the RN scope of practice.

According to The Health Law Firm (n.d.), the RN scope of practice entails observing, diagnosing, planning, intervening, and evaluating patient care. The RN also administers medications and treatments as prescribed by a registered and authorized professional. The RN also teaches and supervises other personnel in the theory and performance of the outlined roles. In addition, the RN roles are not confined to the hospital settings. An RN can work in other organizations such as schools, homes, clinics, and other organizations that require or that offer healthcare services. 

The NPA regulates nursing actions in all the stages of the nursing process. The Florida State defines delegation in RN practice as transference of authority and responsibility to a competent individual to perform specific procedures by a registered nurse. It also calls for delegation rights adherence.

Section F

A nurse plays the role of a scientist by engaging in healthcare research and informing evidence-based practices. A nurse plays the role of detective through diagnosis and planning patient care. The nurse also identifies potential threats to patient safety and acts promptly. As a manager of the healing environment, the nurse identifies factors affecting the health state of a patient and adjusts them accordingly. Thus, the nurse plays the role of a scientist, detective, and manager of the healing environment.

Section G

The identified ANA nursing provisions include: “The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient” (Educate Simplify, n.d.). This provision ensures the nurses maintain human dignity, provide safe and quality care to all patients, and follow practice standards. The second provision is “The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community or population” (Educate Simplify, n.d.). The nurse should ensure they provide patient-centered care with attention to patient needs, maintain patient privacy, and have clear-cut boundaries.

One significant error is medication errors such as administration of medications errors; administration of wrong drugs to a patient. The error might result from names of patients that look alike or LASA (look-alike sound-alike) drugs. This error negatively affects patient safety and is against the nurses’ ethical conduct.

As mentioned earlier, ANA aims to empower nurses to ensure quality practice. The provisions may help to remind the nurse of their role and responsibility in patient safety and quality care delivery (Educate Simplify, n.d.). In addition, they may be used to enhance reporting of the error and laying effective strategies such as separating LASA drugs and labeling them to ensure the error does not occur again. ANA provisions empower nurses to improve their practice and professional development.

Section H

Effective communication, confidence, time management, and emotional intelligence are the four essential qualities of a nursing leader (Cummings et al., 2020). The nurse leader at the bedside ensures they provide clear and complete information about the patient (effective communication). They confidently discuss with patients and families’ issues such as patient expected outcomes and diagnosis. 

Nurses also act promptly to save a life or provide care to ensure the safety and recovery of the patient (Confidence). They also ensure they optimize the time spent with clients to ensure they cater to all clients. It helps focus on essential aspects of care to avoid trivial activities that convey no benefits to the patients (Time management). In addition, nurses address the patients’ needs without emotional entanglement. They react in emotionally appropriate ways according to the situation during patients’ care (Emotional Intelligence).

Interprofessional teams require the nurse to provide timely and accurate information to inform their decision-making processes. The nurses assess patients and provide prompt feedback to the interprofessional teams for prompt decision-making and care delivery (time management and effective communication). The nurses must also accommodate individual differences among team members without reacting inappropriately or negatively to psychological effects (emotional intelligence). Nurses play a vital role as patients’ advocates and should voice their concerns to healthcare professionals regarding any inappropriate patient care (Confidence). The nursing leadership qualities are thus integral for the nurse leader at the bedside and in professional teams.

Nursing practice in the work environment requires working in teams which promotes leadership even at the lowest level. These teams have collaborative efforts in decision-making which showcases the importance of consultation. In addition, it calls for every nurse’s input improving their individual’s decision-making skills. 

The teams contain nurses with different qualifications, such as assistant nurses, registered nurses, and nurse practitioners. Interaction with these members enhances professional development. The organization also holds training programs for continuing education for all nurses and thus promotes professional development. The hospital management also encourages professional advancement through promoting those who advance their professions and increasing their salaries. Thus, the hospital environment promotes professional development.

References