Professional Beliefs and Values Study

Professional Beliefs and Values Study

Instructions/Descriptions

Professional Beliefs and Values Study

Professional Beliefs and Values

Student Name, RN

Minnesota State University, Mankato

N382 Holistic Nursing Assessment and Practice

Dr. Laura M Schwarz, DNP, RN, CNE, AHN-BC

Date

Professional Beliefs and Values

The purpose of this paper is to examine and reflect my beliefs and values. This assessment will help me to establish how my beliefs and values affect my professionalism as a nurse. It will reveal some strengths and weaknesses, which will help me establish the areas for improvement as a nurse.

Personal and Professional Behaviors

[Order Now]

Dorothea Dix recruited only women who were plain looking and older than thirty years old to take care of the wounded soldiers during the Civil War (Blais & Hayes, 2010.) It shows that even during that time modest, responsible, and professionally appropriate -behaved nurses were on demand as much as today. Working in the hospital setting, I feel that I represent my health care organization.

Treating people with respect, dignity, and stereotype –free behavior, can make a significant difference in their hospital stay, recovering, and facility choice. Taking care of patients well and advocating for them no matter what their origin, sexual orientation, and even their destructive life choices is my strongest belief of professional nursing behavior. As for professional appearance, I believe that being neat, and following dress code of the facility really does not leave much space for “appearance mistakes.” However, as for my personal appearance self-concept, I believe that I need to start to spend a little bit more time on myself such as exercising and relaxation therapies. Being so busy at work, and with my family, I find myself a little bit “neglected” in personal care areas. Indeed, it is so much easier to go sit in the couch at the end of the day, than to go to a fitness center and to exercise.

Professional Value Beliefs and Values

My professional values and beliefs were formed by my cultural background, Christianity, and education. It is an ongoing process, which needs to be guarded and improved daily. For example, I used to be very biased of people who were presented to ER with overdose or chemical intoxication. Today, I have learned not to judge those patients, but try to find available support and assistance with their addiction.

Cultural Background

[Order Now]

I was born and raised in Russia. The culture of service is completely absent in health care system. When my first son was born in 2003 in St. Petersburg, Russia, he was diagnosed with meningitis, encephalitis, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. As new parents, my husband and I were very scared and lost. We had knowledge deficit and were looking for answers from our health care providers. We received no education, no sympathy, no explanations whatsoever. My previous cultural experience shaped my belief for being a patient’s advocate. There are so many Hispanic patients who come to our facility. When I see them with their language barriers, knowledge deficit and employment concerns due to their hospitalization or sickness, I have a strong desire to use this opportunity and provide teaching about their health issues and support. I found out that because of working long shifts, lack of education about diabetes and hypertension, and poor nutrition they ended up hospitalized with cellulites and exacerbation of CHF.

Christianity

Honesty, work ethics, compassion for the people in physical, psychological, and emotional distress are those values which were formed based on my spirituality. From the human perspective of view, it is easy to judge an alcoholic who has destroyed his one life and the life of his beloved ones. I believe that this judgment can affect indirectly the level of nurses’ cares. My faith helps me not to judge, but try to look a t this alcoholic as a victim of his addiction. I believe that nobody wants to be chemically dependent and destroy their families, career, and wealth.

Education

Learning about the disease process, HIPPA requirements, ethical values, effect of lab values on human behavior are those factors which had tremendous influence on my belief and values system. A dementia patient can be combative, rude and disrespectful, however, knowledge about dementia, would give me support to treat this patient with respect, and dignity. Knowing HIPPA requirements helps me to be very careful with my verbal communication with the patients on the hospital floor.

Professional Respect and Boundaries

Having a positive attitude in the workplace and maintaining confidentiality is a way of showing respect towards myself and others. Very often it is very easy to join people who like to complain. I am still learning to stop myself before I join in the conversation. Very often in the small community hospital many nurses know patients as their neighbors and vice versa very well. Everyone knows much of what is going on in the community. I believe that establishing professional boundaries and keeping a patient’s privacy is very important. I remember one very surprised patient’s face when I told that patient that due to the privacy rights, I really could not tell who was admitted in the room next door. I try to apply the same principle towards my college and not to bring their information outside the doors.

Professional Goals

Obtaining my bachelor degree and then receiving specialization in cardiac unit are my short term professional goals. I believe that there is and there always will be an area for improvement. A Bachelor degree will give me an opportunity for a good start in my professional development. Obtaining a Master Degree in Nursing Science is my long-term goal in my professional engagement. The high demand in the job market for nurses with master’s degree and desire of professional growth are two main facilitators to achieve this long term goal. However, financial difficulties and time deficit in my family are the barriers for this option. At this moment I need to work full time, and pay off my student loans from community college and university, and have good quality time with my nine-year-old and four-year-old boys.

Professional Knowledge

Having only two year ADN, I feel that I am looking at the top of the iceberg of nursing. I believe that to develop critical thinking it takes additional education and several years of experience. I have learned to provide holistic approach to patient and his or her family situation. Taking Baccalaurean courses about different nursing theories and family nursing processes was very helpful in the developing of holistic approach to patients’ cares. I am still in the process of learning how to prioritize and distinguish more of acute and chronic patient’s conditions and build my level of cares based on that. Application of nursing research is another area where I want to develop and apply. I believe that knowledge is a process. By obtaining and applying of additional education, I will be able to become a nurse who will make a difference in patients’ lives.

Professional Skills

As the advanced beginner-nurse, I bring only general knowledge and skills to my profession. As being a nurse in the second Benner’s stage (Blais & Hayes, 2010.) I still use policies and procedures especially when I need to perform skills which we do not use often. I am trying to develop specific skills and knowledge like abnormal EKG interpretations, lab interpretations and so on. Being a person from another country, communication can be a stumbling block for me. Proper professional documentation can be very crucial in the continuity of cares and in the case of legal battles. Proper oral and written etiquette is an attribute of professional behavior. Improvement of therapeutic communication with the patient, physicians, and other facilities is my ultimate goal which I am trying to achieve. I believe that this skill will be a great base for achieving my short and long term professional goals.

Conclusion

I have examined and reflected upon my beliefs and values. This assessment has helped me to establish how my beliefs and values affect my professionalism as a nurse. I have discussed my strengths and weaknesses, and established areas for improvement as a nurse as well as my future professional short and long term goals.

References

Blais, K. & Hayes, J. S. (2015). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives (6th ed.). Prentice Hall.

Professional Beliefs and Values Study

PLACE THE ORDER WITH US TODAY AND GET A PERFECT SCORE!!!