Beliefs in caring in nursing

Beliefs in caring in nursing

Caring is one of the fundamental aspects of nursing. It is a concept that involves a direct interaction between the nurse and the patients towards achieving quality life. As an individual, I take the idea of caring as the core of my professional identity. For one to be able to develop an identity within their profession, they have to have respect and self-concept about their roles. Therefore, over the years, I have developed a professional identity that is defined by the way I care for my patients as well as my beliefs about the practice. In addition to that, it would be prudent for me to work with particular organizations that would help in advancing my career and help build on my professional identity.

Beliefs in caring in nursing

Nursing and caring are concepts that have often been thought of almost synonymously. Most people choose the career of nursing due to their desire to take care of others. Caring as a fundamental concept of nursing, has led to the development of several theories, including Jean Watson’s theory of Human Caring and Leininger’s theory of cultural care. As an individual, my beliefs of caring in nursing are guided by these theories. I believe that nursing is a science. As a science, it is a concept that involves a perception of unity and interconnectedness of all. Therefore, these perceptions have helped me to develop a sense of inquiry that is reflective and subjective, which allows me to be objective-empirical in my interpretations. In line with Leininger’s theory, my belief of caring is that it should help a patient to gain the highest degree of holistic harmony of the mind, body, and soul. Caring, therefore, is a process that involves the entire environment of the patient. Thus, for me, the process of caring begins once the interaction with the patient begins. It is through caring that the patient can get better. Besides, curing cannot take place with having the essence of caring.

Caring is not just about the patient, but also about myself as a nurse. I must take care of myself and sustain a level of balance that helps in ensuring that I deliver the highest quality service to the patients.

Professional Identity

My professional identity encompasses all my personal perspectives and experiences, as well as the collective identity of the nursing profession. As a registered nurse, I believe that I should treat my patients with compassion and carry myself with the dignity and integrity that is associated with nursing. Sabanciogullari and Dogan (2018) incorporate the aspect of professional development in understanding the professional identity of the nurse. In this light, I have achieved this aspect of my professional identity by demonstrating research-based knowledge. While it is often not advisable to model the characters of the academic staff as a student (Clements et al., 2016), I must say that I have also forged an identity through emulating clinical competence. Clinical competence is defined as a combination of the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and abilities of the nurses to perform all the duties related to patient care under given circumstances (Sun et al., 2016).

As a registered nurse, my professional identity also involves treating my patients with respect and maintaining their privacy. Besides, I believe in advocating for equality in healthcare as well as social justice as a means of reaching the threshold of equality. My identity also requires me to internalize all the standards of the nursing practice.

Professional organizations to be involved with

One of the professional organizations I would like to work with is the American Nursing Association. The organization is aimed at protecting and advancing the profession of nursing. It also establishes the standards of practice and promotes the rights of nurses within the workplace. Importantly, ANA is also obliged to advance the economic and general welfare of its members. As a registered nurse, I would work with ANA as a platform of networking towards advancing my career and helping me to advocate for the rights of registered nurses in the United States.

I would also be involved with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Since my ambition is to become a nurse practitioner, working with this organization would be prudent. The AANP works to offer a unified platform of networking for nurse practitioners. It advocates for the recognition of nurse practitioners at the state, federal, and local levels. Besides, it also recognizes nurse practitioners as providers of personalized, cost-effective, and high quality healthcare.

Conclusion

In conclusion, caring forms a fundamental aspect of my career. I believe that nursing should be holistic. My beliefs of caring in nursing are guided by two of the essential theories of caring in nursing. They are also governed by my personal values. Besides, these values and beliefs alongside my experiences in the field have helped in developing my professional identity in nursing. However, to advance in my career, I would work with ANA and AANP as a means of creating a better network and building on my professional identity.