Nursing Fundamentals Quiz

Foundations: Module 1 - Evolution of Nursing

• Nursing is a professional field that has been successfully professionalized, featuring ethical standards, special knowledge and skills, and public acceptance.
• This field requires a comprehensive body of learning derived from research, education, and training at a high level.
• Professionals are prepared to apply this knowledge and expertise to benefit others.

What is a Profession?

• A profession is a field of work that has been successfully professionalized.
• Key characteristics include ethical standards, acceptance by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills, and wide recognition as a body of learning derived from high-level research, education, and training to apply knowledge.

Nursing is

• The American Nurses Association (ANA) defines nursing (1980) as the diagnosis and treatment of human responses to actual and potential health problems.
• In 2010, the ANA stated that nursing practice is individualized, emphasizing partnerships and the role of caring in registered nursing (RN) practice. RN care is tailored for each patient.
• A strong relationship exists between the working environment and RN's ability to give good care and produce better results.
• The ANA's 2015 definition highlights the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, preventing illness and injury, alleviating suffering, and advocating for individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations.

Why Define Nursing?

• Defining nursing helps the public understand the value of nursing.
• It helps differentiate nursing activities from those of medicine.
• It helps students understand expectations for their future roles.

Influential People in Nursing's Evolution

• Includes figures such as Florence Nightingale, Dorothea Dix, Clara Barton, Lillian Wald, Mary Brewster, Edward Lyon, Lavinia Dock, and Mary Mahoney.

Safe, Effective Nursing Care

• Many individuals significantly shaped nursing.
• Analyzing the contributions of Clara Barton, Lillian Wald, and Lavinia Dock reveals the importance of "caring".
• Discussion of how "caring" was demonstrated in practice is key to understanding this essential aspect of the role.

Safe, Effective Nursing Care (continued)

• Florence Nightingale was instrumental in improving the care provided to soldiers, significantly improving outcomes.
• Understanding Florence Nightingale's actions relates to the competency of providing client-centered goal-directed care.

Nursing Organizations

• The American Nurses Association (ANA) acts as the official organization for US nurses.
• The National League for Nursing (NLN) maintains universal standards for nursing education.
• Nurse Practice Acts are managed by state boards of nursing, such as the Texas Board of Nursing (example). Individual states regulate the practice of nursing.
• The scope of nursing practice includes activities nurses are expected to do. These boards approve nursing education programs.

Nursing Today

• Modern nurses are highly competent and caring professionals.
• The complexity of healthcare delivery requires critical thinking, communication, organizational skills, leadership, advocacy, and technical skills.
• Delivering safe and effective care to patients is at the core of modern nursing practice.

Thinking Skills

• Clinical judgment is a process that recognizes and analyses cues, prioritizes hypotheses, produces solutions, takes action, and assesses outcomes.
• Critical thinking, involving information gathering and analysis, aids in selecting appropriate courses of action.
• Problem-solving involves examining issues and seeking satisfactory solutions.

Important Qualities for Nurses

• Critical thinking, caring and compassion, listening skills, patience, competence, emotional stability, physical stamina, detail-oriented, organizational skills, speaking skills, are significant qualities for any nurse.

Entry Into Practice

• Different educational pathways are available to become a Registered Nurse (RN).
• These include a Diploma, BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), RN to BSN, Master's, and Doctoral degrees.
• Continuing education is required to maintain knowledge and skills throughout a nursing career.

Nursing Education

• Patricia Benner's five stages of nursing skill development: novice, advanced beginner, competence, proficient, and expert are important phases of learning.
• Diploma programs (3 years): hospital-based.
• Associate Degree (AD) programs (2 years): community colleges.
• Baccalaureate Degree programs (8 semesters): colleges and universities.
• RN to BSN programs help nurses with associate degrees earn BSN degrees.

Roles of the Nurse

• Nurses fulfill various roles, including direct care provider, communicator, client educator, counselor, client advocate, critical thinker, detail-oriented caregiver, compassionate and patient individuals, change agents, leaders or managers (community, hospital), case managers, and consumers of research.

Ethical Principles and Responsibilities of a Nurse

• Basic principles incorporate advocacy, responsibility, accountability, and confidentiality. Key ethical principles include autonomy, beneficence, fidelity, justice, non-maleficence, and veracity (truthfulness).
• Nurses must understand ethical dilemmas in the context of morality and science to distinguish right from wrong action.

The 7 Ethical Principles in Nursing (Summary)

• Accountability
• Justice
• Nonmaleficence
• Autonomy
• Beneficence
• Fidelity
• Veracity

The 6 functions of clinical judgment

• Recognize cues (what matters most)
• Analyze cues (what does it mean?)
• Prioritize hypotheses (where do I start)
• Generate solutions (what can I do?)
• Take action (what will I do?)
• Evaluate Outcomes (did it help?)

The Nursing Process

• Assessment
• Analysis
• Planning
• Implementation
• Evaluation

Nursing Process

• Assessment: collecting subjective/objective data
• Diagnosis: identifying the patient's primary health issue
• Planning: setting goals for the patient
• Intervention: actions to meet goals
• Evaluation: measure if the desired results were achieved.

Types of Nursing Diagnoses

• Problem-focused
• Risk
• Health Promotion
• Syndrome

Nursing Delegation

• The 5 Rights principle is crucial to delegation, confirming that the task is within the nurse's scope of practice, the circumstances are suitable, the person assigned is suited for the task, instructions are clear, and verification of outcome is ensured.
• Unlicensed Assistive Personnel (UAP) and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) have distinct roles with varying degrees of responsibility in healthcare settings.

Interprofessional Teams

• The patient is central to interprofessional care.
• Healthcare teams include physicians, nurses, physician assistants, registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), unlicensed assistive personnel (UAPs), pharmacists, therapists, technologists, social workers, spiritual care providers, and alternative care providers.

Therapeutic Communication

• Verbal communication between nurses and patients, other nurses, and interprofessional teams.
• Non-verbal communication includes body language and posture.
• Factors affecting communication include age, environment, gender, and communication style.

Communicate

• Situation (patient-client details, reason for communication)
• Background (significant history, medications, investigations, treatments)
• Assessment (clinical impression, concerns, vital signs, early warning score)
• Recommendations (specifics, suggestions, clarified expectations, confirmed actions)

ISBAR

• A communication tool for healthcare professionals to efficiently exchange critical information about patients.
• Stage 1: Introduce and Identify (introduce yourself, identify the patient)
• Stage 2: Situation (explain the patient's condition)
• Stage 3: Background (explain the patient's medical and social history)
• Stage 4: Assessment and Actions (summarize assessment, describe the actions taken)
• Stage 5: Recommendations and Readback (recommendations, confirm understanding)

Safety In Healthcare

• Joint Commission 2023 Patient Safety Goals: improve staff communication, use alarms safely, identify patients correctly, use medicines safely, prevent infection.
• Key concerns include home and hospital safety, Never Events (SREs, serious reportable events), and preventable medical errors.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

• Abraham Maslow's Hierarchy describes human needs in a pyramid structure.
• Physiological needs (basic) support safety, love & belonging, esteem, self-actualization (most complex)
• Physiological needs (food, water, sleep). Safety (security, stability), love/belonging (relationships), esteem (self-worth, respect), and self-actualization (reaching full potential).

1-Minute Paper

• A brief reflective exercise to capture key learnings.

Test your knowledge on essential nursing concepts and practices. This quiz covers important figures in nursing history, ethical principles, nursing education standards, and the nursing process. Perfect for nursing students looking to assess their understanding of critical topics.