Nursing as a Profession

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Nursing as a Profession
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Lets Start at the Beginning

• Nursing history
• Is it important?
• Why?

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Florence Nightingale

• Founder of modern nursing
• Established first nursing philosophy based on
  health maintenance and restoration
• First practicing nurse epidemiologist
• First nurse researcher

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Civil War to Early 1900s

• Time of nursing growth--
• Clara Barton, Dorthea Dix, Harriet Tubman were
  all instrumental during Civil War
• Hospital nursing expanded in late 1800s
• Lillian Wald and Mary Brewster started community
  health nursing at the Henry Street Settlement in
  1893.

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Twentieth Century

• Nursing evolved toward a scientific,
  research-based defined body of nursing knowledge
  and practice.
• Affiliation of nursing education with
  universities
• Expanded and Advanced Practice roles
• Nursing specializations evolved
• Specialty nurse organizations were formed

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Twenty-first Century

• Continued evolution is necessary
• Nursings Code of Ethics was revised in 2001 to
  reflect current ethical issues

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Years of Change and Evolution
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How do you feel about this Image?
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Things to Think About

• IS nursing a profession?
• Why or why not?
• What are the types of educational preparation?
• ADN or AAS
• Diploma
• Baccalaureate

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Characteristics of a Profession

• Requires an extended education as well as a basic
  liberal foundation
• Has a theoretical body of knowledge
• Provides a specific service
• Members have autonomy in decision making and
  practice
• The profession/professional has a code of ethics
  for practice

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What do you know about

• Accreditation ?
• Licensure ?
• Certification ?

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How does your definition compare?

• ANA definition of nursing
• Nursing is the protection, promotion, and
  optimization of health and abilities, prevention
  of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering
  through the diagnosis and treatment of human
  response, and advocacy in care of individuals,
  families, communities, and populations (ANA,
  2003).

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What are Standards of Professional Performance?

• Objective guidelines for nurses to provide care
• Criteria for evaluating care
• Important in legal disputes

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What are Standards of Care?

• Describe a competent level of nursing care
• Demonstrated through the nursing process
• Outline nursing responsibility for
• Diversity
• Safety
• Education
• Health promotion
• Treatment
• Self-care
• Planning for continuity of care

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What is a Nurse Practice Act?

• Regulates the licensing and practice of nursing
  in all states
• Each state has its own NPA
• Where do nurses Practice?

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What are the Roles/Functions of the Nurse?

• Autonomy and accountability
• Caregiver
• Advocate
• Educator
• Communicator
• Manager
• Career development

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What is Advanced Practice Nursing?

• Generally most autonomous
• Practice in a variety of settings
• Include
• CNS
• NP
• CNM
• CRNA

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Professional Organizations

• What are they?
• Why are they necessary?

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What are some trends in nursing?

• Continued growth and evolution
• Holism
• Growing variety of employment settings
• Greater use of alternative therapies
• Rise in Chronic Illnesses
• Patients are sicker when they enter the
  hospital
• Patients are discharged sooner and still have
  many health care needs
• Involvement in health care reform through
  political activism