RIDAO, GLENA MARIE C.

BSN-I, NCM10

Profession
– It is defined as an occupation that requires extensive education or a calling that
requires special knowledge, skill, and preparation.

American Heritage dictionary defines profession as:

a. An occupation or career: "One of the highest compliments a child can pay a

parent is to choose his or her profession" (Joan Nathan).
b. An occupation, such as law, medicine, or engineering that requires
considerable training and specialized study.
c. The body of qualified persons in an occupation or field: members of the
teaching profession.
d. An act or instance of professing; a declaration.
e. An avowal of faith or belief.
f. A faith or belief: believers of various professions.

The term profession (wikipedia) thus refers to an occupation, vocation or high-status

career, usually involving prolonged academic training, formal qualifications and membership
of a professional or regulatory body. Professions involve the application of specialized
knowledge of a subject, field, or science to fee-paying clientele.

A profession is generally distinguished from other kinds of occupations by:

 Its requirement of prolonged, specialized training to acquire a body of
knowledge pertinent to the role to be performed;
 An orientation of the individual toward service, either to a community or to an
organization;
 Ongoing research;
 Code of ethics;
 Autonomy; and
 Professional organization

Specialized Education – is an important aspect of professional status.

- In modern times, the trend in education for the professions has shifted toward
programs in colleges & universities.
- Nursing educators believe that the undergraduate nursing curriculum should
include liberal arts education in addition to the biologic and social sciences and
the nursing discipline.

Body of Knowledge – is a term used to represent the sum total of all knowledge in an
area of expertise, most notably professional bodies. A body of knowledge is usually made up
of knowledge areas that represent a taxonomy (is the practice and science of classification)
of relevant concepts.
- Nursing as a profession is establishing a well defined body of knowledge and
expertise.
- A number of nursing conceptual frameworks contribute to the knowledge base of
nursing and give direction to nursing practice, education, and ongoing research.

Service Orientation – this differentiates nursing from an occupation pursued primarily

for profit.
 - Altruism – the hallmark of a profession.
- Nursing has a tradition of service to others.
- This service must be guided by certain rules, policies, or codes of ethics.

Ongoing Research – Increasing research in nursing contributes to nursing practice.

- 1940 – Nursing research was at a very early stage of development.
- 1950 – Increased federal funding and professional support helped establish
centers for nursing research.
- Most early research was directed to the study of nursing education.
- 1960 – Studies were often related to the nature of the knowledge base underlying
nursing practice.
- 1970 – Nursing Research has focused on practice-related issues.

Code of Ethics – Placing a high value on the worth and dignity of others.
- The nursing profession requires integrity of its members; that is, a member is
expected to do what is considered right regardless of the personal cost.
- The Nursing code of Ethics as developed helps to monitor the professional
behavior of its members.

Autonomy – Granting a professional group legal authority to define the scope of its
practice, functions and roles, goals and responsibilities in the delivery of its services.
- To nursing practitioners, autonomy means independence at work, responsibility,
and accountability for one’s actions.
- (wikipedia) which means they have a high degree of control of their own affairs
- the freedom to exercise their professional judgment.
- The concept of autonomy embraces not only judgment, but also self-interest and
a continuous process of critical evaluation of ethics and procedures from within
the profession itself.

Professional Organization
- Governance – the establishment and maintenance of social, political, and
economic arrangements by which practitioners control their practice, their self-
discipline, their working conditions, and their professional affairs.
- Ex.: ANA, CAN, ICN, PNA

NURSING
Originated from the Latin word nutrix (to nourish)

Definition:
- Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all
ages, families, groups and communities, sick or well and in all settings. Nursing
includes the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and the care of ill, disabled
and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research,
participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems
management, and education are also key nursing roles (ICN).
- 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 responses; and advocacy in health care for individuals,
families, communities, and populations.
- The act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery
(Florence Nightingale).
- The unique function of the nurse is “to assist the individual, sick or well, in the
performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to
 peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength,
will, or knowledge, and to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence
as rapidly as possible (Virginia Henderson).
- It is dynamic, caring, helping relationship in which the nurse assists the client to
achieve and obtain optimal health (CAN, 1987)

World Health Organization (WHO)

Profession concerned with the provision of services essential to the maintenance &
restoration of health by attending the needs of the sick person

American Nurses Association (ANA, 1980)

Diagnosis & treatment of human responses to actual or potential health problems

Canadian Nurses Association (CNA, 1987)

Dynamic, caring, helping relationship in which the nurse assists the client to achieve &
obtain optimal health

COMMON THEMES/CHARACTERISTICS OF NURSING

Caring
An art
A science
“It combines art and science using scientific knowledge in a humane manner, and critical
thinking skills with caring behaviors.”
Client-centered
Holistic
Adaptive
Concerned with health promotion, health maintenance, & health restoration
Helping profession

FOCUS: HUMAN RESPONSES

QUALIFICATIONS & ABILITIES OF A PROFESSIONAL NURSE

Has faith in the fundamental values that underlie the democratic way of life like respect for
human dignity & self-sacrifice for common good
Has a sense of responsibility for those whom he/she works with
Has faith in spiritual & aesthetic values & awareness of self-development

Has basic knowledge, skills, & attitude (KSA); uses critical thinking
Has skills in both written & spoken language
Appreciates & understands the importance of good health
Has emotional balance
Has the interest & capacity for hard work
Appreciates high standards of workmanship
Accepts & tries to understand ALL people
Knows NURSING thoroughly that client will receive quality care

PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF A NURSE

Philosophy of Life
Concerned with basic truths that contribute to personal growth in a systematic fashion &
with those principles that relate to the moral values that shape the facets of the character
Cannot be taught; every person must develop a personal philosophy of life & plan for
expanding his personal life
Good Personality
Distinctive individual qualities that differentiate one person from another
Refers to impression one makes on others which will include more than that which meets
the eye
Consists of deeper traits which come from the heart, exerting magnetic influence on others
Result of integrating one’s abilities, desires, impulses, habits & physical character into a
harmonious whole

HOW TO DEVELOP ONE’S PERSONALITY

Warmth of manner, a ready smile, sincere laugh, genuine interest in others
Complete sincerity
Sympathetic grooming: neat hairstyle, appropriate dress, sufficient make-up, & expressive
hands; being ever mindful of the people who see you

COMPONENTS OF A GOOD PERSONALITY

PERSONAL APPEARANCE: reveals the real you; includes posture, grooming, dress & uniform
YOU MUST RESPECT THE UNIFORM!
WEAR THE CAP WITH RESPECT & DIGNITY!

CHARACTER: moral values & beliefs; what a person is inside

CHARITY IS THE GREATEST VIRTUE!

THE NURSE IS BASICALLY A GOOD PERSON!

Emanating from charity:

Justice: righteous, correct & fair
Prudence: good sense, guides one’s choice of action
Fortitude: control of feelings, thoughts & emotions in the face of difficulty
Temperance: constructive use of pleasure of senses

ATTRIBUTES OF CHARACTER

Honesty: being truthful or trustworthy

Reliability: dependability
Tolerance: recognition of rights of others; acceptance
Resourcefulness: ability to recognize & deal promptly when problems arise
Loyalty: feeling of confidence, trust, & affection towards family, friends, or co-workers
Judgment: good sense; wisdom
Motivation: positive force directing ones action
Moderation: balance of elements in a controlled manner; maintain harmony

ATTITUDE
Manner of acting, thinking, or feeling that is indicated by one’s response toward another
person, situation or experience; changes from time to time as additional knowledge is
gained
Eight Be-Attitudes of a Nurse
Acceptance: self-maturity
Helpfulness: giving attention to others
Friendliness: warm & pleasant interaction
Firmness: alert to actions of others in a confident way
Permissiveness: loosening or tightening the reign of authority
Limit-setting: knowing value of one’s influence
Sincerity: acting naturally
Competence: using intellectual (not emotional) approach

CHARM
Influence the senses or the mind by some quality or attraction; delight
Innate in one who has a depth of feeling & an outgoing manner
To acquire charm, cultivate the following:
Voice: modulated with clear enunciation
Manner: courteous, attentive, patient, receptive
Heart: empathetic, understanding, & tolerant
Intelligence: keep an active mind, recognize beauty, accept new ideas from others, read &
exchange ideas
Poise: requires calmness, composure, & control of temper

Carper’s Four Patterns of Knowing: Evidence-Based Nursing

Practice

Nursing has a strong tradition of focusing on various ways of knowing to provide excellent
care. Carper (1978) identified four fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing: empiric,
ethics, personal, and aesthetic patterns. More recently, Fawcett, Watson, Neuman, Walker,
and Fitzpatrick (2001) updated and applied Carper's theory.

1. Empiric Knowing is based on the assumption that what is known is accessible

through the physical senses, particularly seeing, touching, and hearing, and as a
pattern of knowing draws on traditional quantitative approaches to knowledge
acquisition.
 It is expressed as scientific competence—competent action grounded
in scientific theories and knowledge.
 It relates to factual descriptions, explanations, and predictions.

2. Ethical Knowing involves making moment-to-moment judgments about what

ought to be done, what is good, what is right, and what is responsible.
 It guides and directs conduct in life and work, helps one determine
what is most important, where to place one's loyalty, and what
priorities demand advocacy.
 It refers to moral obligations, values, and desired ends.

3. Personal Knowing concerns the inner experience of becoming a holistic,

authentic self capable of unifying the plural dimensions in which that self lives in
an honest and open manner.
 Full awareness of the self, the moment, and the context of interaction
with others makes possible meaningful, shared human experience.
 It pertains to the genuine transpersonal relation between each nurse
and each patient.
 4. Aesthetic Knowing involves deep appreciation of the meaning of a situation
and calls forth inner creative resources that transform experience into what is not
yet real, bringing to reality something that would not otherwise be possible.
 It shows the nurse's perception of what is significant in the patient's
behavior and also addresses the artful performance of nursing skills
and ways of being.

All these ways of acquiring, processing, reflecting, and evaluating nursing knowledge are
important in developing a comprehensive clinical perspective. Evidence-based practice
explores the empiric way of knowing, focusing on Methods of critically appraising and
applying available data and research to understand and inform clinical decision-making
better. Although it clearly is not the only way of knowing, evidence-based practice provides
a way to frame and address questions about how to provide the best patient care.