Professional Identity in Nursing

Running head: PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY 1
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
Name of Student
Institutional Affiliation

PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY 2
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
Introduction
Professionalism is an essential aspect of the nursing profession. Nurses are at all times
expected to attend to their clients while maintaining their professional code of conduct. In other
words, professionalism in nursing entails the provision of quality care to patients while adhering
to professional values such as responsibility, advocacy, and respect. Additionally,
professionalism in nursing also touches on the Nurse's ability to communicate effectively with
patients and colleagues. Nurses are also expected to ensure that their actions and behaviours
adhere to professional standards. Nurses can exhibit professionalism in the healthcare setting by
striving to meet the needs of their patients, collaborating effectively with their colleagues, and
observing integrity and honesty in their undertakings. Professionalism is integral in safeguarding
the patient's health and well-being (Ghadirian, Salsali & Cheraghi,2014). The negligence
depicted by Mary in the case study is a clear indication of her failure to adhere to nursing
professional standards. She fails to care for her patients as expected hence causes them
unnecessary harm. Nurses need to incorporate professionalism in their practice for improved
patient outcomes.
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) requires nurses practicing in
Australia to meet several standards referred to as the NMBA Professional Standards. These
standards define the appropriate behaviour of midwives and nurses. The nursing practice is
evidence-based and person-centred. Palliative, restorative, supportive, formative, curative, and
preventive elements also characterize the nursing practice (Kozier, Erb, Berman, Snyder, Levett-
Jones & Dwyer, 2014). Additionally, they are required to work in therapeutic and professional
relationships with patients, communities, groups, and families who may be either in good health

PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY 3
or with a wide range of health issues associated with intellectual, developmental, psychiatric or
physical disabilities. As individuals working under regulations, therefore, Registered nurses are
consequently expected to adhere to the standards specified by the Nursing and Midwifery Board
of Australia. In this regard, the development of Nurse’s aspirations and scopes of practise should
be in accordance with the provided guidelines, codes, and standards. Additionally, these
standards of practice need to be visible in the Nurse's current practice.
As per the case study, it is evident that Mary has violated the NMBA Standards. To start
with, in the application of person-centred and evidence-based care, nurses are required to use
multiple thinking strategies as well as most appropriate evidence available to make decisions and
offer quality and safe care to patients. In adherence to this standard, they should reflect on their
beliefs, feelings, and actions to ascertain how these shape the nursing practice (Nursing and
Midwifery Board of Australia,2019). By leaving her patients unattended to and exposing them to
the potential harm caused by wet bedsheets and unemptied urine bottles, she has failed to make
use of thinking strategies and available evidence to make decisions.
Secondly, as a registered nurse, Mary is also expected to provide responsive, appropriate,
safe, and quality care. Based on this regulation, it means that her practise should be per the
relevant health and nursing legislation, regulations, standards, and guidelines (Ghadirian, Salsali
& Cheraghi,2014). The fact that she spends most of her time at the Nurse's station and leaves the
residents under her care unattended to means that she has failed to comply with this standard. For
this reason, the residents are not provided with quality and safe care as required.
Based on the evidence in the case study, it is evident that Mary has not formed
therapeutic, person-centered relationships with her clients. A therapeutic person-centered
relationship is one that entails caring and supportive behaviour that is not judgmental