NUR 115 Test 1

Characteristics of a Nursing Professional (Kelly's Criteria) – • Services provided are a service to humanity • A specialized body of knowledge that is continually enlarged through research • Services involve intellectual activities; accountability is a strong feature • Practitioners are educated in an institution of higher learning • Practitioners are more autonomous or independent • Practitioners are motivated by service (altruism) • Code of ethics to guide decision making and conduct of its members • There is an association that encourages and supports high standards of practice Scope and Standards of Nursing Practice - Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANA, 2010) • Outlines the expectations of the professional role of the nurse • Establishes the responsibilities for which nurses are accountable Why define nursing? - • Establishes purposes/functions • Differentiates from other occupations Establishes parameters/boundaries • Influences health policy at local, state, and national levels Used in laws and nurse practice acts • Aid in developing educational curricula and research agendas • Definitions will continue to evolve due to: - Changing knowledge and skills - Individuals/groups cannot agree Florence Nightingale's Definition: - • Simple • Dealt with basic needs of the patient • "Nature acting upon him" • "Use of fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, and proper diet" • "Least expense of the patient" Post WW II Influence (1950's and later): - • Added technology and skills • Recognized emotions as r/t health, illness, and nursing care Virginia Henderson's Definition of Nursing - • By 1960, this definition was universally accepted and represented and emergence of contemporary nursing • "The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to a peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge; and to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible." • Focus is both well and sick people. • Responsibility of care is shared by the patient and the nurse. • Goal for the patient is to be as independent as possible. Dorothea Orem's Definition of Nursing - Captures the "self-care" theory of nursing. "Nursing gives direct assistance to a person, as required, because of the person's specifics inabilities in self care resulting from a situation of personal health." Belief that nurses only do for the patient what they would do for themselves. Encourages the patient to do more as their condition improves. Patient has an active role in his (her) care. Martha Roger's Definition of Nursing - Includes the "nursing process" in her definition. "Nursing aims to assist people in achieving their maximum health potential. Maintenance and promotion of health, prevention of disease, nursing diagnosis, intervention, and rehabilitation encompass the scope of nursing's goals." The first definition to mention the "Nursing Process." American Nurses Association Definition of Nursing includes Essential Features (currently on website) - 21st Century nursing is the glue that holds a patient's health care journey together. Across the entire patient experience, and wherever there is someone in need of care, nurses work tirelessly to identify and protect the needs of the individual. Nursing can be described as both an art and a science; a heart and a mind. At its heart, lies a fundamental respect for human dignity and an intuition for a patient's needs. This is supported by the mind, in the form of rigorous core learning. Due to the vast range of specialisms and complex skills in the nursing profession, each nurse will have specific strengths, passions, and expertise. However, nursing has a unifying ethos (character): In assessing a patient, nurses do not just consider test results. Through the critical thinking exemplified in the nursing process (see below), nurses use their judgment to integrate objective data with subjective experience of a patient's biological, physical and behavioral needs. This ensures that every patient, from city hospital to community health center; state prison to summer camp, receives the best possible care regardless of who they are, or where they may be. What exactly do nurses do? - In a field as varied as nursing, there is no typical answer. Responsibilities can range from making acute treatment decisions to providing inoculations in schools. The key unifying characteristic in every role is the skill and drive that it takes to be a nurse. Through long-term monitoring of patients' behavior and knowledge-based expertise, nurses are best placed to take an all-encompassing view of a patient's wellbeing. Who is Registered Nurses? - Registered nurses (RN) form the backbone of health care provision in the United States. RNs provide critical health care to the public wherever it is needed. Nurses responsibility - Key Responsibilities Perform physical exams and health histories before making critical decisions Provide health promotion, counseling and education Administer medications and other personalized interventions Coordinate care, in collaboration with a wide array of health care professionals National League of Nursing's Core Values: (taken from the NLN website nursing. The mission of the organization is based on 4 core values of nursing as it relates to nursing education: Caring - promoting health, healing, and hope Integrity - respecting the dignity and moral wholeness of the individual Diversity - affecting the uniqueness of and differences among persons Excellence - creating and implementing transformative strategies with daring ingenuity South Carolina's Definition of the Practice of Nursing: - "Practice of nursing" means the provision of services for compensation, except as provided in this chapter that assists persons and groups to obtain or promote optimal health. Nursing practice requires the use of nursing judgment. Nursing judgment is the logical and systematic cognitive process of identifying pertinent information and evaluating data in the clinical context in order to produce informed decisions, which guide nursing actions. Nursing practice is provided by advanced practice registered nurses, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses. The scope of nursing practice varies and is commensurate with the educational preparation and demonstrated competencies of the person who is accountable to the public for the quality of nursing care. Nursing practice occurs in the state in which the recipient of nursing services is located at the time nursing services are provided. "Practice of registered nursing" means the performance of health care acts in the nursing process that involve assessment, analysis, intervention, and evaluation. This practice requires specialized independent judgment and skill and is based on knowledge and application of the principles of biophysical and social sciences. The practice of registered nursing includes, but is not limited to: (a) assessing the health status of persons and groups; (b) analyzing the health status of persons and groups; (c) establishing outcomes to meet identified health care needs of persons and groups; (d) prescribing nursing interventions to achieve outcomes; (e) implementing nursing interventions to achieve outcomes; (f) administering and delivering medications and treatments prescribed by an authorized licensed provider; (g) delegating nursing interventions to qualified others; (h) providing for the maintenance of safe and effective nursing care rendered What is Holistic Nursing? - Nourishes the whole person Body, mind, and spirit