What is Nursing

What is Nursing? Donna Pierrynowski Gallant RN PhD September 10, 2008 10/31/2008 Objectives • Articulate your beliefs about the nature of nursing. • Contribute to ongoing discussions about the nature of nursing. • Discuss the demographics of Canadian Nursing. • Explore career options within professional nursing. • Understand the characteristics of a profession. • Discuss what is meant by professional regulation. 10/31/2008 View this website: I Am a Nurse • http://23072.vws.magma.ca/centennial/eng/ cna-webcasts-i-am-a-nurse.aspx 10/31/2008 Group Work: Assign a note taker and speaker Discuss: 1) What is nursing 2) Why you chose to become a nurse 3) What contributions you hope to make to the health of individuals, families, communities and health care. 10/31/2008 Nature of Nursing • Unique health profession, Art and Science. • Professional practice of caring grounded in science, technology, and knowledge. • Focus: Individuals, families groups, communities • Promote health, self care, prevention of disease and disability, coping with illness, achievement of a peaceful death. • Research, participation in shaping health policy and education. Review ICN definition of nursing: www.icn.ch/definition.htm 10/31/2008 Nature of Nursing contin. • Focus on interpersonal relationships with ethical, legal and moral obligations. • Advocacy • Autonomous and Collaborative • Environment of respect for others, racial and gender equality, safety and cooperation. • Evidenced based and includes disciplinary knowledge from nursing as well as that from biological and physical sciences, the social sciences and humanities. (see page 6 student handbook) 10/31/2008 Nursing Is Not the Performance of Skills. It is Skilled Performance. The performance of a skill cannot stand alone; it is always supported by knowledge and judgment (Evans & Donnelly, 2006). 10/31/2008 Nursing your career….your future • A growing profession offering an astonishing range of choices and opportunities….. 10/31/2008 Employment: The real story • Excellent time to enter nursing as there is a shortage. • Important trend is the increasing # of services that emphasize illness prevention and promotion. 10/31/2008 Examples of Career Choices • Clinician – • Provide direct care and support to clients and their families with the goal of promoting health, maintenance and self-care. • Majority of nurses work as clinicians. • May occur in the hospital or in the client’s home/community. 10/31/2008 Career Choices • Nurse Educator -Works mainly in the school of nursing, healthcare agency, or client education departments. • Has a clinical background and graduate preparation. • Teaches current nursing theory and practice. • Provides educational sessions to the staff in the facility.. i.e. critical care courses, safety courses 10/31/2008 Career Choices • Advanced Practice Nurse – • Graduate education, provides primary care usually in partnership with physicians. • Usually has the authority to prescribe some medications. • Treats health problems within the scope of nursing practice. • Primary care: “first contact a patient makes with the health care system that leads to decisions about the course of action to resolve actual or potential health problems” 10/31/2008 Career Choices • Clinical Nurse Specialist - She/He is an Advanced Practice Nurse with nursing expertise in a particular area. • Usually practices in a hospital. • Specializes in a specific area -ex. Oncology • Seen as the expert who is consulted for the purposes of improving patient care. 10/31/2008 Career Choices • Nurse Practitioner –Has advanced preparation in nursing. Works in outpatient, ambulatory care or a community based setting. Provides care to clients with complex problems using a holistic approach. 10/31/2008 Career Choices • Certified Nurse Midwife- Until 1994, Canada didn’t recognize midwifery. • 1986, Ontario adopted midwifery as a regulated health care profession • British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, passed legislation legalizing midwifery. • Expectant moms in three areas of Nova Scotia will soon have access to publicly funded midwifery services. Guysborough Antigonish Strait Health Authority, South Shore District Health Authority and the IWK Health Centre have been identified as model sites (Gov of N.S., 2008) 10/31/2008 Career Choices • Nurse Administrator• Include positions such as Nurse Manager, Director of Nursing Services, Vice President, and others. • Manages client care and the delivery of specific nursing services in a health care agency. • Skilled in business and management. Functions may include budgeting, staffing employee evaluation… 10/31/2008 Career Choices • Nurse Researcher –Prepared at a doctoral level, investigates problems to improve nursing care and to further define and expand the scope of nursing practice. May be employed in academic settings, hospital or professional/community agencies. 10/31/2008 Demographic Characteristics (2006 data) • 270, 845 registered nurses in Canada. • Males represent 5.6% of RN’s. • Average age 45 • 59.15% are employed in hospitals • 55.76% work full time. • 64% have diplomas • 2.51% have Master’s • .15 % have Doctorates (CNA, 2008) 10/31/2008 Characteristics of a Profession • • • • • • Formal education Body of knowledge Provides a service to society Autonomy in decision-making Code of ethics Professional organization 10/31/2008 Formal Education • A profession sets the standards for practice. Standards outline practice expectations and the desired level of care expected of nurses. • Standards in this province require that the entry to practice is baccalaureate nursing preparation. 10/31/2008 Body of Knowledge • Based on nursing knowledge and knowledge from other disciplines such as psychology, physiology, and medicine. • Knowledge originates from theory, clinical practice and research done by nurses. 10/31/2008 Service to Society • Consumer focused • Respect for clients and their families are of utmost important. • Emphasis on “doing with” not “doing for”. 10/31/2008 Autonomy • Make reasonable decisions independently • Accept responsibility and accountability for actions. 10/31/2008 Code of Ethics • Ethics refers to the moral principles or values that guide us when deciding what is right and wrong. • Principles which guide nursing practice • Provides guidance for decision making Refer to the Code on Ethics (2008) 10/31/2008 Professional Organization • Voice of a profession and deals with issues/concerns of those practicing within the profession • Establishes education and practice standards • Registration and licensure • Discipline members when required • Other roles… In Nova Scotia- College of Registered Nurses of Nova Scotia 10/31/2008 Registration • To become a registered nurse: Complete a program of study in an accredited school • Pass a qualifying exam ie(RN Examination) http://www.crnns.ca/documents/factsheetinitialreg2004.pdf 10/31/2008 Self-Regulation • The privilege that is entrusted by society to a college (CRNNS) to regulate the profession in the public’s interest… Focus: Public protection. • Determines the standards of practice, code of ethics for the profession and to ensure that these are met. • Also determines criteria for registration, licensing and professional conduct processes. • • • Refer to the Standards document….pg 5 or Potter and Perry pg. 1666. http://www.cnanurses.ca/CNA/documents/pdf/publications/NN_Understanding_Self_Reg ulation_e.pdf http://www.crnns.ca/documents/factsheetinitialreg2004.pdf 10/31/2008 Principles of Self-Regulation • Promotion of good practice • Prevention of poor practice • Intervening when practice is unacceptable 10/31/2008 Promotion of Good Practice • • • • Set standards for nursing education Set licensure requirements Promote evidence-based nursing and health care Promote professional quality workplace environments • Establish and promote professional practice standards, competencies and an ethical code 10/31/2008 Prevent Poor Practice • Provide nurses with tools and resources to maintain and enhance their competencies Example: mentor match, building your profile • Provide nurses with guidelines to help with resolving professional practice issues Example: practice consultation services http://www.crnns.ca/documents/building.pdf 10/31/2008 Procedure for Unacceptable Practice • Professional conduct review process 10/31/2008 Summary ▪ • • • • Nature of nursing Demographics of Canadian Nursing Career options within professional nursing. Characteristics of a profession. Professional regulation 10/31/2008