Professional Identity and Stewardship
Professionalism is an essential aspect of nursing because it defines the nurse as a care provider and an advocate of patients seeking health care. The concept of professionalism is defined differently by individuals, but the core values required for an individual to be called a nurse remain the same (Ghadirian et al. 2014). Nursing professionalism is a complex, dynamic and an inevitable process making it necessary for research in the professionalism aspect of nursing. I took an opportunity of the complex dynamics in the profession to interview my colleague with the aim of knowing how he defines professionalism and the factors surrounding his view of the nursing profession. Other aspects assessed during the interview included stewardship, professional advocacy, and authenticity in nursing leadership.
Mr. V. Perez is a nurse who has worked in the maternity department for one year. I was privileged to interview Mr. Perez on different aspects of professionalism. I started by asking his role in the healthcare team providers, and he had the following to say. “I am a nurse, and my role in the team is to provide holistic care to the patients,” said Perez. He continued to emphasize that nursing is a profession that requires dedication and determination. He added that he is determined to serve patients at all costs through collaboration with other healthcare team members.
The second question concerned Mr. Perez’s definition of professionalism and how it influences his work as a nurse. He defined professionalism as the state of adhering to standards of practice, ethics, and rules to improve performance in nursing. Nursing is a profession that has taken root a few years ago. To be a professional in nursing, one must have a positive attitude and be ready to serve patients at all times (Ghadirian et al. 2014). Mr. Perez added that professionalism influences his work as a nurse in many ways. It gives him a positive attitude to work and to provide care to the patients at the same time earning him respect. Professionalism influences the appearance of the nurses, the willingness of working with others and the ability to love nursing as a profession.
Stewardship in nursing is an area that has raised concerns in the field of nursing, especially in the leadership roles. I asked Mr. Perez if he considers leaders in the organization as stewards of health and he had the following to say. Nurse leaders hold the potential to bring meaningful change in the nursing practice through courage, self-discipline, and collaboration. He acknowledges that leaders are stewards of health and they must work hard to improve the nursing environment through policymaking and organizational change. The leaders have the role of listening to other staff members in the areas that need improvement, and they must use the power given to drive the nursing profession to another level.
The last part discussed during the interview was advocacy, authenticity, and power in nursing leadership. I asked Mr. Perez if it was important for the leaders to exercise the three aspects of nursing and the response provided was positive. He explained that advocacy is an aspect which promotes health care for the patients and it is influenced by power. Advocacy is done through serving on committees and councils to solve the problems facing nursing and promote care provision to the patients (Ghadirian et al. 2014). On the issue of power, Perez explained that leaders must exercise power so that they can earn respect and have authority to direct other nurses in the hospital. It is necessary to exercise power and authenticity to earn respect and streamline the activities of other workers. The responses provided were impressive and clear with each question covered well.
References
Ghadirian, F., Salsali, M., & Cheraghi, M. A. (2014). Nursing professionalism: An evolutionary concept analysis. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 19(1), 1–10. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3917177/
