Introduction to Nursing Concepts

Learning Objectives

• Students will be able to identify the essential aspects of nursing.
• Students will be able to define nursing.
• Students will be able to describe the scope of nursing.
• Students will be able to identify the roles of nurses.
• Students will be able to describe nursing activities.

Introduction to Nursing

• Nursing has a significant impact on people's lives.
• Rapid changes in nursing and healthcare systems are increasing the roles of nurses.
• Increased participation, responsibility, and rewards are expanding nurse roles.

Definitions of Nursing

• The American Nurses Association (ANA) (1995) defines nursing as the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems.
• In 1980, the ANA redefined nursing as the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems.
• The Canadian Nurses Association (1986) defines nursing as a caring relationship that helps clients achieve and/or maintain optimal health.

Themes in Nursing Definitions

• Nursing is caring.
• Nursing is an art.
• Nursing is a science.
• Nursing is client-centered.
• Nursing is holistic.
• Nursing is adaptive.
• Nursing is concerned with health promotion, health maintenance, and health restoration.
• Nursing is a helping profession.

Recipients of Nursing

• Recipients of nursing care are sometimes called consumers, patients, or clients.
• Consumers (individuals, groups, or communities) use health care services or products.

Patient vs. Client

• A patient is someone waiting for or undergoing medical treatment and care.
• A client engages the services of a qualified professional.
• Clients are also responsible for their health.

Scope of Nursing

• Nurses provide care for individuals, families, and communities.
• Nursing practice involves four areas: promoting health and wellness, preventing illness, restoring health, and caring for the dying.

Promoting Health and Wellness

• Wellness is a state of well-being.
• Nurses encourage healthy attitudes and behaviours that enhance quality of life.
• Promoting wellness involves individual and community activities.

Preventing Illness

• Preventing illness involves maintaining optimal health.
• Nursing activities include immunizations, prenatal and infant care, and disease prevention.

Restoring Health

• Restoring health focuses on ill clients and extends from early disease detection to recovery support.
• Nursing activities include administering medications, treatments, diagnostic procedures like measuring blood pressure, and other care.

Nursing Activities

• Providing direct care to patients.
• Performing diagnostic procedures.
• Consulting with other health professionals.
• Teaching clients recovery activities.
• Re-habilitating clients.

Caring for the Dying

• Nurses comfort and care for individuals of all ages who are dying.
• Nurses help clients live their final days as comfortably as possible and support the individuals' grieving and support persons.

Settings for Nursing

• In the past, hospitals were a primary setting for nurses.
• Today, nurses work in various settings like hospitals, homes, community agencies, ambulatory clinics, long-term care facilities, HMOs, and nursing practice centers.
• Nursing autonomy and responsibility vary across settings.

Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice

• Establishing and implementing practice standards are essential functions in professional organizations.
• The standards reflect the values and priorities of the nursing profession.

(ANA) Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice

• Nursing assessment involves collecting patient health data.
• Diagnosis involves analyzing assessment data to determine diagnoses.
• Outcome identification involves determining individualized expected outcomes for patients.
• Planning involves creating a care plan with interventions to achieve expected outcomes.
• Implementing the plan of care is essential for optimal care.
• Evaluation involves assessing patient progress toward the expected outcomes.

Roles and Functions of the Nurse

• Caregiver: Providing physical, psychosocial, developmental, cultural, and spiritual care.
• Communicator: Communicating with clients, support persons, other health professionals, and the community.

Nurse Roles - Teacher, Advocate, Counselor

• Teacher: Nurses educate clients about their health and procedures to restore and maintain health.
• Client Advocate: Nurses protect client needs and represent their wishes to other professionals also assist clients to exercise their rights.
• Counselor: Nurses support clients through stressful situations and help them develop improved interpersonal relationships and resolve psychological issues.

Other Roles - Change Agent, Leader, Manager

• Change Agent: Nurses influence client and system behaviour to promote better health outcomes which may involve system modifications to facilitate client care.
• Leader: Nurses influence others to work together for a common goal and can lead at various levels (individual client, family, community, colleagues).
• Manager: Nurses manage nursing care for individuals, families, and communities. This role involves delegating, supervising, and evaluating the performance of other nurses.

Research Consumer

• Nurses use research to improve client care.
• Nurses need awareness of research process, language, human subject rights.
• Nurses need to critically evaluate research findings.

Expanded Career Roles

• Nurses take on diverse roles like nurse practitioners, clinical specialists, nurse educators, nurse researchers, and nurse anesthetists, demonstrating greater independence and autonomy.

Criteria of a Profession

• Professions require specialized training and knowledge.
• Professions often involve a service orientation
• Professions engage research, and have codes of ethics, autonomy, and professional organization.

Professionalism

• Refers to the professional qualities, spirit, or methods.
• Professionalism as an attribute implies responsibility and commitment.

Professionalization

• Professionalization is the process of developing professional characteristics.

Factors Affecting Contemporary Nursing Practice

• Economics
• Consumer demands
• Family Structures
• Science and Technology
• Information and Telecommunications
• Legislation
• Demography