Professionalism In Nursing Care

Great Essays
In the nursing workforce, where individuals obtain many hats and responsibilities, there is one element that remains consistent: Professionalism. Professionalism is "the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or a professional person."(Merriam-Webster, 2011). While technical expertise is a key component; it does not embody the whole of professionalism. It also involves a caring attitude and appearance that we must apply to not just our nursing careers, but also our everyday lives. Through being self-aware of our appearance, selecting caring attitudes and using the code of ethics, we can assume and manage the role of professionalism in all aspects of our lives.
You 've heard the phrase before: "Don 't judge a book
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As professionals, nurses should partake in caring attitudes and behaviors to create a therapeutic relationship with patients and therefore sustain efficiency. To do this, we can look to Swanson 's Theory of Caring; knowing, being with, doing for, enabling, maintaining belief. (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2015). "Knowing" means to understand what has happened to the patient through their eyes, rather than a clinical perspective. "Being with" means to be there emotionally as well as physically. Doing for is when the nurse advocates for the patient in a way they would want someone to support them. Enabling is when we help those through unknown territory. Lastly, maintaining belief is when we give hope in situations where others are feeling hopeless. Through 5 different views of caring, we can gain a better understanding of the patient as a whole, rather than just focusing on their diagnosis. By following these five caring processes, we can create a relationship in which both patient and professional are satisfied, without sacrificing the quality of …show more content…
(2015). The new ‘Code of ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements’ (2015): Practical clinical application, part II. MEDSURG Nursing, 24(5), 363 – 366, 368. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/codeofethics.
Maykut, C. (2014). Concept Analysis: The Clarification of Body Adornment. International Journal of Caring Sciences 7(2), 406 – 414. Retrieved from Proquest database.
Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (2011). Professionalism. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/professionalism
National League for Nursing. (2012) Ethical Principles for Nursing Education National League for Nursing January 2012. Retrieved from http://www.nln.org
Potter, P.A., Perry, A.G., Stockert, P.A., Hall, A. (Eds.). (2015). Essentials for Nursing Practice (8th ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby.
Winland-Brown, J., Lachman, V.D., & Swanson, E.O. (2015). The New ‘Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements’ (2015): Practical Clinical Application, Part I. MEDSURG Nursing 24(4), 268 – 271. Retrieved from

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