nursing

Running head: NURSING 2

NURSING 2

Professional Identity of the Nurse: Scope of Nursing Practice

Rasmussen University

NUR1055Introduction to Nursing

SECOUND PREJECT

August 15th,2021

Professional Identity of the Nurse: Scope of Nursing Practice

Introduction

Having certain qualities is imperative for the professional identity of nurses, which distinguishes nursing from other professions. Nurses worldwide are recognized by a set of ethics, knowledge base, leadership, and professional practices (Clement, 2016). Moreover, the nursing professional identity is a continuous process that is refined throughout one's career. The identity of nurses is significantly enhanced through participation in active engagement in professional nursing organizations, advancing in nursing education, creating a personal nursing philosophy, and seeking leadership posts in nursing practice. Additionally, nurses are identified by their unique code of ethics and scope of practice. Therefore, it is imperative to address these crucial aspects of the professional nursing identity.

The importance of nursing code of ethics

The nursing code of ethics is a protocol that helps nurses carry out their responsibilities consistent with nursing care qualities and professional, ethical obligations. Ethics are moral rules that govern a person on how to conduct himself or herself. The main principles that are part of the nursing code of ethics include Autonomy; which is a self-governing state, Beneficence; which is the charity act, and kindness with a stout implication of doing good to others; justice; which is being fair to all people and non-maleficence; which is non-harming for a beneficial outcome (Clement, 2016). Therefore, the importance of the nursing code of ethics acts as a reminder of nurses' commitment to society.

The code of ethics is an essential tool for nurses because it explains the professional conduct principles which govern them in carrying out safe service delivery. However, it also states the behavior expected of nurses by their society and the patients accordingly. The principles associated with the nursing code of ethics are well defined with guidance with the practice, which validates the way it is applied in nursing practice (Lowe, 2017). Nurses help the patients by giving them instructions or offering them the resources and support they need. The code of ethics is therefore significant because it instructs the nurses to treat all people equally.

The nursing code of ethics is also important in guiding the nurses to protect patients' rights and care for them. This is because nursing deals with human lives, which needs to be taken seriously. Hence, ethics gives a clear guideline on how patients are supposed to be taken care of by nurses professionally. The primary responsibility of the nurses is to provide secure and effective nursing care to the patients (Maloney, 2016). Hence, nurses should maintain their competence by engaging in ongoing professional developments to uplift knowledge and attitudes relevant to practice in clinical management.

The code of ethics instructs the nurses to respect the dignity and culture and confidentially keep the obtained patient’s personal information. Concerning this, nursing is expected to ensure that the principles of community beliefs are protected. They should also uphold the interests of people receiving the treatment, therefore, no discrimination per their culture, gender, or health status. Nurses are also expected to protect the patients' privacy as instructed by the code (Turner, 2018). They are supposed to unveil the information that may be significant to the clinical decision-making by other health care teammates.

The American Nurses Association Standards of Practice for the licensure in RN

The registered nursing practice is governed by certain obligations that ensure optimal standards in professional performance. First, nurses are liable to utilize the components of the nursing process in inpatient care. These include assessing the patient's needs, diagnosing their problem based on the assessment data, planning and implementing objectives to achieve the expected outcomes of the patient's issues, and conducting continuous evaluations of the set goals. Second, the nursing practice standards require nurses to ethically and culturally provide sensitive health care tailored to the individual patient's characteristics. Third, nurses must continuously seek opportunities to improve their educational competencies to function in multidisciplinary teams effectively (Olson & Stokes, 2016). Similarly, applying the principles of effective communication and collaborating with other professionals is a prerequisite of registered nursing practice.

Conclusion

Like other professions, nursing is governed by the code of ethics. In this regard, nurses need to adhere to the code of ethics and the standards of professional practice to create a professional identity. The code of ethics is crucial in enhancing the safety of patients during nursing care. Similarly, nursing practice's scope helps registered nurses give high-quality services in line with the patient's culture, values, and preferences. Hence, patient satisfaction with nursing practice will improve through the development of a formidable professional nursing identity.

References

Clement, I. (2016). Code of ethics in nursing. Textbook on Professional Trends and Adjustments in Nursing, 44-44. https://doi.org/10.5005/jp/books/12786_8

Lowe, G. (2017). Nurse practitioners: Framing their professional identity. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 13(2), 175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2016.12.021

Maloney, P. (2016). Nursing professional development. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 32(6), 327-330. https://doi.org/10.1097/nnd.0000000000000300

Olson, L. L., & Stokes, F. (2016). The ANA code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements: Resource for nursing regulation. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 7(2), 9-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2155-8256(16)31073-0

Turner, M. (2018). If it is newsworthy, it is ethics-worthy: Living in the code of ethics for nurses. Creative Nursing, 24(3), 143-151. https://doi.org/10.1891/1946-6560.24.3.143