NURSING

AS A
PROFESSION
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NURSING AS A PROFESSION

Characteristics

Criteria of a profession

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 DEFINING A PROFESSION
Position: a group of task assigned to one
individual
Job : a group of positions that are similar in nature
and level of skill that can be carried out by one or
more individuals
Occupation: a group of job that are similar in
type of work and that are usually found
throughout an industry or work environment.
Profession: a type of occupation that meets certain
criteria that raise it to a level above that of an
occupation
Professional: a person who belongs to and
practices a profession.

Professionalism: demonstration of high level of

personal, ethical and high level of skill
characteristics of a member of a profession.

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APPROACHES TO PROFESSION

 Process approach
 Power approach

 Trait approach

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 PROCESS APPROACH
 Continuum of professional development
position profession

 Disadvantages: it lacks criteria on

which to base the judgment.

Finally, the determination of the status of

an occupation or profession depends
completely upon the public image of
the activities of that profession.

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 POWER APPROACH
 USES TWO CRITERIA TO DEFINE A PROFESSION

1. Independence of profession

2. Amount Of Power The Occupation Controls

 Members of these occupations earn high income

 Practice their skills with great deal of independence
 Exercise significant power over individuals, the public and
the political communities, both individually and in
organized groups.

Law, medicine and politics would clearly be considered

as profession.

Ministry is generally perceived of having power and

influence.

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 POWER APPROACH TO NURSING

 Relatively poor salaries

 Low membership in organizations

 Perceived lack of political power

Does not meet the power criteria

For a profession

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 TRAIT APPROACH
Trait Approach: Flexner, Bixler And
Pavalko Are The Most Widely Accepted Leaders In
This Field( Social Scientists) Determines
Following Few Characteristics :

 High intellectual level.

 High level of individual responsibility and
accountability.
 Specialized body of knowledge.
 Knowledge that can be learnt in institutions of higher
educations.
 Public service and altruistic activities.

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TRAIT APPROACH ( Contd)
 Public Service Valued Over Financial Gain

 Relatively high degree of autonomy and

independence of practice.

 Need for a well organized and strong organization

representing the members of the profession in their
practice.

 Strong professional identity and commitment to the

development of profession.

 Demonstration of professional competency and

possession of a legally recognized license.
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 CRITERIA OF THE PROFESSION
1. HIGH INTELLECTUAL LEVEL OF
FUNCTIONING:

 Modern nurses use assessment skill and knowledge, have the

ability to reason and make routine judgment depending on
patient’s condition.

 Professional nurses functions at a high intellectual level .

 florence nightingale raised the bar for education and

graduates of her school were considered to be highly
educated.

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 CRITERIA OF THE PROFESSION
2. HIGH LEVEL OF INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY AND
ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Nurses must be accountable and demonstrate a

high level of individual responsibility for the care
and services they provide.

• The concept of accountability has legal, ethical and

professional implications that include accepting
responsibility for action taken to provide client care
as well as accepting responsibility for the
consequences of action that are not performed.

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CRITERIA OF THE PROFESSION
3. SPECIALIZED BODY OF KNOWLEDGE:

Nursing has developed into an identifiable separate

discipline a specialized body of knowledge called as
nursing science was compiled through the research
effort of nurses with advanced educational degrees.

Although this body of specialized knowledge is relatively

small, it forms a theoretical basis for the practice of
nursing today.

As more nurses obtain advanced degrees , conduct

research and develop philosophies, and theories about
nursing, this body of knowledge will increase in scope.

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CRITERIA OF THE PROFESSION

4. Evidenced based practice: almost all the

Currently used nursing theories address this
Issue in some way.

Evidenced based practice is the practice of

Nursing in which interventions are based on data
Obtained from research that demonstrate that,
The findings are appropriate and successful.

It involves a systematic process of uncovering,

Evaluating and using information from research
As the basis for making decisions about an
Providing client care.

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5. PUBLIC SERVICE AND ALTRUISTIC
ACTIVITIES

◊ individual is the focal point of all nursing models and

nursing practice

◊ Nursing has been viewed universally as being an altruistic

profession composed of selfless individuals who place the
lives and well being of their clients above their personal
safety.

◊ Dedicated nurses provide care for victims of deadly diseases

with little regard for their own welfare.

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 6. WELL ORGANISED AND STRONG
REPRESENTATION
•Professional organizations represent the members of the profession
and control the quality of professional practice
•National League of Nursing and the American Nurses Associations
are two organizations that represent nursing in today’s health care
system.
•NLN is primarily responsible for regulating the quality of
educational programs that prepare nurses for practice of nursing.
•ANA is more concerned with the quality of nursing practice in the
daily health care setting.
•Both these groups are well organized but neither can be considered
powerful when compared with other professional organizations
•Fewer than 15 % of all nurses are members of the professional
organizations at the national level.
•Many do belong to specialty organizations that represent a specific
area of practice. This lacks sufficient political power to produce
changes in health care laws and policies at the national level.
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 7. CODE OF ETHICS
Nurses have several codes of ethics that are used to guide
nursing practice.

Code of ethics is recognized by other profession as a standard

with which others are compared.

Autonomy : Right of self determination, independence and

freedom. Client’s right to make decision for himself or herself.

Justice : Obligation to be fair to all people

Fidelity: obligation of an individual to be faithful to commitments

made to himself or herself and to others.

Beneficence: One of the oldest requirements for health care

providers, views the primary goal of health care as doing good
for clients under their care.

Nonmaleficence: requirement that health care providers do no

harm to their clients either intentionally or unintentionally.
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 8. COMPETENCIES AND PROFESSIONAL
LICENSE

Nurses must pass a national licensure examination to demonstrate

that they are qualified to practice nursing

Only after passing the examination the nurses are allowed to practice.

The granting of a nursing license is a legal activity conducted by the

individual state under the regulations contained in the state’s nursing
practice act.

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 9. AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE OF
PRACTICE
◊ In reality nursing is both an independent and inter-
dependant discipline.

◊ Nurses in all health care setting must work with physicians,

hospital administrators, pharmacists and other groups in
the provision of care.

◊ In some cases nurses in advanced practice role eg. Nurse

practitioners can do establish their independent practices.

◊ Nurse practice act allow nurses to practice more

independence in their practice than they realize.

◊ To be considered a true profession, nursing will need to be

recognised by other disciplines as having practitioners who
practice nursing indepdently.

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10. PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND DEVELOPMENT

Job: group position that are similar in nature and level of skill that can
be carried out by one or more individuals

Career: is viewed as a person’s major life work, which progresses and

develops as the person grows older.

Careers and professions have many of the same characteristics:

i. Formal education
ii. Full time employment
iii. Dedication to what is being achieved

Until nurses are fully committed to the profession of nursing, identify

with it as a profession and are dedicated to its future development,
nursing will probably not achieve professional status.

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Thank you

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