Professional Identity and Stewardship: Healthcare Team Report

This report delves into the concepts of professional identity and stewardship within the nursing profession, drawing insights from an interview with an emergency department nurse. The nurse's perspective highlights the critical roles and responsibilities of healthcare team members, particularly in the demanding environment of an emergency department. The report examines the nurse's understanding of professionalism, emphasizing the importance of knowledge, skills, ethical standards, and collaborative practice. Leadership qualities, advocacy, and the significance of a healthy work environment are also discussed, underscoring their impact on patient outcomes and the overall healthcare delivery system. The report references relevant literature to support the findings and provides a comprehensive overview of the key aspects of professional identity and stewardship in nursing practice.

Running head: Professional Identity and Stewardship
Professional Identity and Stewardship
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author’s name

Professional Identity and Stewardship
The peer chosen for this interview is a nurse working in the emergency department.
Roles and responsibilities as a healthcare team member-
The interview has been conducted to assess her professionalism and sense of
responsibilities as a healthcare team member. She was asked about her roles and responsibilities
as a healthcare member and how she perceives them. On asking her about her role as a healthcare
team member, she replied that being an emergency department nurse, she needs to manage
emergency situations, prioritize care, and assess the patient’s conditions for further
complications and many more. It is the responsibility of the nurse working in such settings to
collect all the subjective and objective data of the patients and also conduct assessments required
and interpret what their vitals indicate. Every nurses working in such setting possess adequate
skill set and key competencies to understand a patient’s condition comprehensively and develop
intervention strategies suitable for the patient addressing the health concerns. Working in
emergency department requires adequate knowledge, experience, skills and clinical expertise and
every nurses working in emergency situations (Innes et al., 2017).
Professionalism
According to the nurse, professionalism is central to nursing and has an influence on the
quality of care delivered by the nurses. Professionalism is exhibited in practice through the
application of knowledge, skills, and the ability to carry out standard activities like leadership,
self-discipline, professional commitment and social values. Professionalism shapes up nursing
practice and ensures that every nurses besides providing care to the patients, are able to instruct
and guide and have the ability working at managerial positions (Carpenter, 2018). In order for

Professional Identity and Stewardship
the nurses to be professional, they must have adequate scientific knowledge and autonomy.
Nurses working in the clinical settings are in charge of their patients’ co-workers and also to the
hospital or organization they are working in. Professionalism, thus, is reflected by adhering to
the ethical and nursing standards of care. Being professional means keeping an optimistic
outlook, being able to take responsibilities and being accountable in the care of people.
Professionalism is also reflected by showing respect, practicing collaboratively in partnership
with other healthcare members and supporting teamwork and being a leader.
Qualities for being stewards of health care
On asking her about whether she ruminates the leaders of the organization to be the
stewards of health care, she replied yes. According to the nurse, steward helps to organize people
overseeing them. Nurses working in the emergency settings also functions being organized and
oversees them (Babiker et al., 2014).
Leadership qualities
In the interview, the emergency nurse state that every nurses needs to be advocates to
patients, supervises, coworkers and also subordinates. They must show support to the coworkers,
hospitals, leaders and supervisors. According to the nurse, authenticity not only affect nursing
practice and profession but also the overall healthcare delivery system and the community as a
whole. In order to ensure the delivery of an enhanced nursing care that will eventually increase
patient’s health outcome it is necessary to provide a healthy working environment. This is
because overload of work and stressful environment leads to nurse burnout, a higher rate of
absenteeism ultimately leading to a nursing shortage. Leadership and advocacy and power are

Professional Identity and Stewardship
important in nursing practice that influence patient’s health outcome. Nurses require adequate
leadership competencies and skills to deliver an effective and enhanced care system (Joseph &
Huber, 2015).

Professional Identity and Stewardship
References
Babiker, A., El Husseini, M., Al Nemri, A., Al Frayh, A., Al Juryyan, N., Faki, M. O., ... & Al
Zamil, F. (2014). Health care professional development: Working as a team to improve
patient care. Sudanese journal of paediatrics, 14(2), 9.
Carpenter, M. (2018). The new managerialism and professionalism in nursing. In Health and the
Division of Labour (pp. 165-195). Routledge.
Innes, K., Jackson, D., Plummer, V., & Elliott, D. (2017). Emergency department waiting room
nurse role: A key informant perspective. Australasian Emergency Nursing
Journal, 20(1), 6-11.
Joseph, M. L., & Huber, D. L. (2015). Clinical leadership development and education for nurses:
prospects and opportunities. Journal of healthcare leadership, 7, 55.