Nursing Practice Standards and Professionalism

Patient-Centered Care in Nursing

• Nursing prioritizes patient-centered care, requiring nurses to be responsible to their patients, peers, and themselves.
• Nurses provide high-quality, patient-centered care by utilizing critical thinking skills.
• Health care advocacy groups play a role in shaping nursing practice.

Professionalism in Nursing

• Nurses must demonstrate professionalism, which includes advocacy for patients.
• This involves autonomy and accountability.

Nursing Practice Standards

• Nursing practice is guided by current knowledge and standards, requiring a compassionate approach and critical thinking.
• Benner's stages of nursing proficiency describe the progression from novice to expert.
• The American Nurses Association (ANA) and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) define nursing.
• ADOPIE (Assessment, Diagnosis, Outcomes Identification, Planning, Implementation, Evaluation) is a key process in nursing practice.
• Standards of professional performance and a code of ethics are essential for nurses.
• Nursing documentation began in the 1960s.

Nursing Roles and Responsibilities

• Nurses are caregivers, advocates, educators, communicators, and managers.
• Nurses practice with autonomy and accountability.

Nursing Specializations

• Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) include Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse-Midwives, and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists.
• Nurse Educator, Nurse Administrator, and Nurse Researcher are also important nursing roles.
• APRNs often focus on a specific population, setting, disease specialty, type of care, or type of problem requiring advanced care and expertise.

Nursing Shortage

• A shortage of nurses can negatively impact patient outcomes.
• Nurses should maximize their patient contact time efficiently and professionally to address shortages.
• Nurses can improve patient outcomes and have a role in decreasing the rate of complications, and increase return to optimal health for their patients.

Historical Influences on Nursing

• Nurses respond to patient needs and actively participate in determining best practices, with their knowledge increasing the understanding of the discipline and its origins.
• Florence Nightingale is a key figure. She established the first nursing philosophy, organized the first school of nursing, and improved sanitation in battlefield hospitals.
• Clara Barton, Dorothea Lynde Dix, Mother Bickerdyke (Mary Ann Ball), Harriet Tubman, Mary Mahoney, Isabel Hampton Robb, and Lillian Wald were instrumental in shaping the profession.

Contemporary Influences on Nursing

• Self-care, healthcare reform, demographic changes, and serving medically underserved populations are important considerations in contemporary nursing.

Trends in Nursing

• Evidence-based practice, QSEN (Quality and Safety Education for Nurses), emerging technologies (including genomics), public perception, and influence on health policy are crucial.

Nursing Education and Licensure

• Nursing education includes associate's degrees, baccalaureate degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees; in addition to continuing and in-service education.
• Nurse Practice Acts, overseen by State Boards of Nursing, regulate nursing.
• NCLEX-RN® is the licensure examination; certification requirements vary.

Professional Nursing Organizations

• Professional nursing organizations provide education programs, publish journals, and address member concerns.
• Student organizations like the NSNA (National Student Nurses Association) and CSNA (Canadian Student Nurses Association) are vital resources.

Quick Quiz Answers:

• Quick Quiz 1: Nursing is a profession because it involves autonomy, knowledge from related medical fields, and patient care.
• Quick Quiz 2: Professional nursing organizations improve standards, expand roles, and improve nurse well-being.