PROFESSIONAL VALUES IN NURSING
Introduction
Professionalism is the act of providing quality care to patients while at the same time honoring the values of respect, advocacy, and responsibility. Professionalism also involves the ability of clear communication and self-respect on behaviors and actions and mainly concerned with professional and personal development.
Professional values in Nursing
According to Schmidt et al. 2017, values are personal preferences that are learned, organized into systems to determine attitudes and behavior. Generally, values are descriptions of moral actions. Human dignity means respect for the innate worth and uniqueness of individuals and populations. Human dignity comprises respect, autonomy, holism, empowerment, and communication of information. Human dignity also involves patient-centeredness, privacy, and confidentiality. However, integrity requires trust, honesty, competency, safety, accountability, and responsibilities. Altruism means compassion or empathy and unselfish concern for others. However, the scope of justice includes equitable treatment, fair distribution of resources, and political or social activism.
Real-world application
Communication is a core value in nursing. As a nurse, I should be able to listen, disseminate information, and provide clear advice so that every patient understands my instructions. The patient’s care should come first. Therefore, I should be able to make informed decisions for the interest of the patient. Besides, I should regard the patient and colleagues as people with unique values, beliefs, and needs. The privacy of the patient should be protected and kept confidential. As a result, I should not give client information to unauthorized people. Also, I should cooperate with members of the fraternity and respect their contributions. I should be punctual, acknowledge when a situation is beyond my professional scope, and ask for help. Lastly, I should understand that there are consequences for all my actions, including even those outside work.
References
Regis College. What is professionalism in nursing? Retrieved from https://online.regiscollege.edu/blog/what-is-professionalism-in-nursing/ (Accessed February 13, 2020)
Schmidt, B. J., & McArthur, E. C. (2018, January). Professional nursing values: A concept analysis. In Nursing forum (Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 69-75).