Professionalism in Nursing: Roles, Responsibilities, and Practice

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of professionalism in nursing, emphasizing its critical importance within the healthcare industry. It defines professionalism as encompassing respect, compassion, and integrity, which are essential for nurses' roles. The essay explores the expected behaviors and characteristics of professional nurses, including adherence to ethical standards, commitment to quality care, and continuous professional development. It highlights the responsibilities of nurses, such as acting in accordance with professional principles and regulations, providing quality healthcare to all patients, and leading by example. The essay references key concepts like Jean Watson's theory of care and discusses the expectations placed on registered nurses and nursing students to maintain public trust and confidence in the profession. Ultimately, the essay underscores the need for nurses to maintain professionalism to ensure the highest quality of patient care and uphold the reputation of the nursing field.

Running Head: PROFESSIONALISM IN NURSING
Professionalism in Nursing
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PROFESSIONALISM IN NURSING 2
Professionalism in Nursing
Introduction
In a highly respected and dignified profession like nursing and medicine, professionalism
is a vital factor for staying employed as well as placing one’s self apart from the rest of the
individuals when seeking for a potential job. Within the field of healthcare particularly in
nursing, there is much significance to be placed with the development of professionalism within
the profession (Yoder, 2017). It is key to note that all medical professionals are required to strive
to maintain the humanistic qualities and traits of respect, compassion, and integrity which
encompass the essence of professionalism. Whether one works in an administration or hospital,
these three traits constitute the basics of nursing as well as exemplify what it takes to be a
professional. This paper will critically discuss professionalism in the field of nursing as well as
the characteristics of a professional nurse. I will also discuss the professional behaviors which
are expected from a practicing and registered nurse as well as nursing students.
For so long, the nursing profession has been concerned with creating professional
behaviors and values within the nursing field. Nurse are individuals who work within the
healthcare industry. Thus, they interact with various people with various medical conditions.
They are expected to have an inherent need for human dignity and equality which forms part of
the nursing profession. Professionals in the field of nursing are the individuals who understand
and comprehend that their profession goes beyond the individual, that is, it is the collection of all
the individual nurses who make up the healthcare industry (Glasper, 2017). Thus, nurses must
understand that they must collectively work together since they are a team. Professional nursing
practice has been described as a commitment to caring, firm ethical values, compassion,
continuous development of yourself and others, responsibility and accountability for meaningful

PROFESSIONALISM IN NURSING 3
practice and the demonstration of a spirit of flexibility and collaboration (Pagana & Sigma Theta
Tau International, 2015).
It should be noted that there are numerous expectations placed on nurses who aspire to be
professionals in their fields. Firstly, nurses must comprehend that they are operating within a
wider profession. Therefore, they have to act or behave in line with the professional principles
and regulations which have been laid down. In Australia, nurses are expected to follow and
conform to the standards and principles of registered nursing practice. Nurses are expected to
have the required skills, experience, and training in the nursing profession.
Moreover, they are required to have an idea and understanding of the conceptual
framework that has shaped the discipline over the years. For instance, professional nurses must
have an idea and knowledge of the theory of care by Jean Watson as well as the impact it has had
on the improvement of the healthcare practice (Bunkenborg et al. 2013). By critically
understanding grounding in nursing theory, a nurse is well equipped to make prudent decisions
in the process of his or her day-to-day practice as well as contributes to his or her over
professionalism. A more component attribute of nursing that is significant to professionalism is
quality healthcare. It is expected of nurses to provide their best care to all the patients without
minding about their situation.
Every client must be treated equally, and nurses must do their level best to make sure that
the highest quality is offered. This entails dedication to the foundations of integrity, respect,
honesty, and justice. When individuals need the care of a nurse, they do not necessarily
individually know the nurses they will interact with, yet there is normally an expectation that a
nurse will offer quality care. This expectation is normally as a result of professional reputation
which nurses have gained. Thus, it vital that nurses maintain to warrant this image.

PROFESSIONALISM IN NURSING 4
Professionalism in nursing comes from a nurse developing his or her practice. Therefore, nurses
must strive to educate others about their responsibility and roles within the healthcare industry
(Jakubik, 2016). They are also expected to lead by examples by becoming good role models.
Professionalism in nursing requires that those who operate within the healthcare industry are
leaders, thus, enhancing the passage of professional tendencies. Moreover, nurses are required to
conduct themselves in a manner which is good for the nursing profession and in a way which
reflects well on every nurse and not just an individual.
Conclusion
I have discussed that maintaining professionalism in the field is key to the nursing
profession. Registered nurses as well as nursing students interact with everybody and put
themselves in positions of trust, thus, is key that individuals who rely on them for healthcare are
confident and comfortable they are being taken care of by professionals (Dehghani et al. 2016).
References

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Bunkenborg, G, Samuelson, K, Åkeson, J & Poulsen, I 2013, ‘Impact of professionalism in
nursing on in-hospital bedside monitoring practice,’ Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 69(7),
pp. 1466–1477, viewed 20. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12003
Dehghani, A, Salsali, M & Cheraghi, MA 2016, ‘Professionalism in Iranian Nursing: Concept
Analysis,’ International Journal of Nursing Knowledge, vol. 27(2), pp. 111–118. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/10.1111/2047-3095.12082
Glasper, A 2017, ‘Professionalism in practice,’ British Journal of Nursing, vol. 26(12), pp. 706–
707. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2017.26.12.706
Jakubik, LD 2016, ‘Leadership Series: “How To” for Mentoring. Mentoring Practice and
Mentoring Benefit 4: Supporting the Transition and Professional Growth - An Overview and
Application to Practice Using Mentoring Activities’, Pediatric Nursing, vol. 42(5), pp. 252–253.
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Pagana, KD & Sigma Theta Tau International 2015, The Nurse’s Etiquette Advantage, Second
Edition: How Professional Etiquette Can Advance Your Nursing Career, vol Second edition,
Sigma Theta Tau International, Indianapolis, IN, Sigma Theta Tau International. Retrieved from
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Yoder, L 2017, ‘Professionalism in Nursing,’ MEDSURG Nursing, vol. 26(5), pp. 293–294.
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