Professional Standards and Codes of Practice
Over the decades, credential requirements have gradually increased in all sectors of the health care arena. If this trend continues, for how long will health care organizations remain sustainable? Why? What steps should health care administrators take to absorb or mitigate the rising credentialing requirements? Why?Professional Standards and Codes of Practice
Topic 4 DQ 1
Professional standards and codes of practice change as technology, health care laws, and practice advance. Have changing professional standards and codes of practice had a positive or negative influence on quality of care and organizational sustainability? Support your position.
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
Professionalism in nursing means much more than simply wearing a uniform and speaking politely. It encompasses a set of values that are critical to elevating the quality of patient care while improving the methods, standards, and judgments that guide nursing practices every day. Working in professional environments can help nurses develop skills that are valuable at any stage of their career, from novice clinical roles to senior leadership positions. Accumulating work experience and pursuing higher education can create further opportunities to strengthen core professional values.Professional Standards and Codes of Practice
Professionalism in Nursing: The Basics
In nursing, professionalism reflects the act of providing quality patient care while honoring the values of respect, advocacy, and responsibility. Professionalism also extends to a nurse’s ability to communicate clearly and self-reflect on behaviors and actions, always striving for both professional and personal development.
A study published in the Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research (IJNMR) groups the diverse components of nursing professionalism into three equally important categories: cognitive, attitudinal, and psycho motor.
- Cognitive – The cognitive type of professionalism focuses on the ability to continually learn about professional conduct and apply this growing base of knowledge in work settings. Ultimately, nurses who practice this skill should develop the key tools they need to prioritize and make decisions effectively.Professional Standards and Codes of Practice
- Attitudinal – The attitudinal dimension of nursing professionalism involves the attitudes and ideas that guide nurses as they perform their job duties and advance through their careers. Ideally, the attitudes of nurses should align with practical standards and the broader goals of their organizations. A nurse’s willingness to be flexible and make compromises for the greater good has a major bearing on the ability to navigate professional challenges that lie ahead.
- Psycho motor – The psycho motor aspect of professionalism in nursing promotes the idea that as professionals gain experience, they can do more than build their clinical skills. They can sharpen their management skills and better understand the inherent obligations and commitments involved in the practice of nursing. Over the span of their careers, nurses can implement proven methods to bolster their self-discipline and self-learning skills.
Nurses may apply these principles of professional conduct to become better leaders, guide actions using value judgments, and establish self-directed commitments to provide the highest level of patient care.
Real-World Applications of Nursing Professionalism
There are many ways in which nurses can exhibit professionalism to benefit their patients, organizations, coworkers, and careers. According to the code of professional standards as outlined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), nurse professionals in health care settings can do their best to customize care to patients’ needs, proactively collaborate with medical staff, and act with honesty and integrity, especially when under pressure. Other guidelines speak to additional core components of nursing professionalism, including the following.Professional Standards and Codes of Practice
- Care Comes First – Communication is key. Listen to others, and provide information and advice clearly so every patient can understand. Make well-informed decisions that are best for the patient. Do not accept gifts for preferential treatment.
- Individual Treatment – Treat patients and colleagues as individuals with their own unique values, beliefs, and needs.
- Respect Dignity – Protect patient privacy. Never give client information to an unauthorized person, and preserve anonymity when citing patient cases in coursework, research, or other public documents.
- Work Together – Cooperate with team members and respect their contributions. Always treat everyone with respect.
- High Standards of Care – Be punctual. Acknowledge when a situation is beyond your professional scope. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
- Honesty and Integrity – Do not plagiarize coursework or professional assessments. Compile an accurate CV to reflect your education and work experience. Always aspire to the highest levels of personal and professional conduct.
- Uphold Reputation – Be aware that all actions—even outside of work—may have consequences.Professional Standards and Codes of Practice
Benefits of Professionalism
Exhibiting professionalism in the practice of nursing has many benefits. One of the most important is that it helps ensure and safeguard the health and well-being of patients. For example, treating patients respectfully and providing them with easy-to-understand facts can encourage them to make better personal health decisions. Maintaining collaborative relationships and clear lines of communication can enable medical teams to share patient information and plan treatment options more efficiently and securely. Providing team members opportunities to ask for help is a sound strategy that can help minimize the risk of harmful mistakes.
Professionalism also positively impacts the atmosphere and efficiency of health care institutions. Encouraging and maintaining a culture of respect, cooperation, honesty, and integrity allows nurses to inspire close-knit team collaboration, unified by the common goal of providing the best possible care for patients. By promoting communication and compassion, professionalism may reduce the risks associated with workplace conflict that can result from biases or personal differences.Professional Standards and Codes of Practice