BSN 405 Assignment 1: Professional Values and Ethics

Professional Values – Professional Ethics

Student name

Post University

SIMPATH_BSN405

Prof name

Submission date

Reflection of Nursing Career

I chose the nursing field due to my desire to help others have a better life. This paper will try to give an account of the journey as a learner nurse to a professional nurse and my development. A nursing career is all about helping to help the vulnerable patient at a time they need it most in my opinion. As a nurse, one of the biggest and most important experiences I had was working with a patient who had a terminal illness (James et al., 2022).

As I tried to help the patient and family, and do everything possible to make them comfortable during what would prove to be their last hours. This experience has helped me to understand the importance of having empathy and patience as well as providing comprehensive care. They lay the groundwork of my nursing philosophy and they are still what fuels my beloved passion of nursing.

Relating Nursing Practice to ANA Code of Ethics

The ANA Code of Ethics is the foundation of the Nursing Profession’s ethical responsibilities and principles. It helps to protect the best interests of the nurses in providing healthcare services as well as showing respect for the rights of the patient (Özaras öz et al., 2024). Here are just a few examples:

First of all, the ANA Code treats people’s dignity respectfully. In my practice, I do it by treating all people in my care, irrespective of their status in society, with respect and courtesy (Fuseini et al., 2022). For example, they spend time listening to the wishes and desires of all patients at all times and when they do they feel important. Secondly, this indicates a predominant responsibility to the patient of the nurse. As for me, I do this by promoting the rights and encouraging the patient’s autonomy during the time of their admission to get treated (Molina-Mula & Gallo-Estrada, 2020). I could go over the modifications that I made to the treatment options, for instance, that will make my patient more comfortable.

Thirdly, the third duty of the nurses will be to safeguard the rights, health, and well-being of the patients. This I do when I do not leave the patient confined from his/her will or actions in a Will. I often describe to the patient a procedure step by step with a patient and see to it that the patient fully understands what it entails, and that he agrees to it. Fourthly, this highlights the need to have self-care and professional development (Palumbo, 2020). This is done by actively seeking opportunities for improvement in training and practice and modelling a healthy work-life balance, which leads to better quality care.

Importance of Standardized Nursing Language

Standardized and consistent nursing language is essential in the modern health care environment to ensure a common language, effective message passing between practitioners, accurate documentation, and complete information sharing. The standardized terminology eradicates confusion and enhances patient safety. It supports outstanding clinical judgement, which is needed in the treatment of patients, as there is consistency in the assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation of care (Gerchow et al., 2020).

The nursing language is inherently related to the ANA Code of Ethics, where most of the responsibilities can be attributed to accountability and the quality of care. In such a manner, nurses can ensure that they provide ethical care, such as clarity and completeness in reporting and documentation of their clients’ information. It is intended that everyone on the team will be knowledgeable, thereby enhancing the quality of patient care and the nurse-patient relationship. Furthermore, it facilitates ongoing research, the use of evidence to guide practice, professional nurse development, and adherence to best practices.

Motivation to Remain in the Nursing Profession

Those things that help motivate me to continue practicing nursing are having the ability to influence people’s lives and the opportunity for growth, both professionally and personally. The thing that I remember the most and what was so inspiring, was when I was working with a young burn patient. With ongoing pressure due to his injuries and my continued presence and support, he was able to regain his strength (King et al., 2020).

Witnessing his development and his own empowerment was very important to me – witnessing his courage to fight and his own sense of compassion, endurance, and his act of change, his transformative act of warm-heartedness. That is why this experience makes me strive to offer only the best and be there for the patients at the moment is difficult for them.

Short-term Goals

Enhance Clinical Skills: Consolidate my advanced knowledge and skills in wound care through ongoing education and further practice.
Professional Certification: I will seek certification in critical care nursing to further my knowledge and skills in critical care nursing.

Long-term Goals

Leadership Role: Also, it is important to try to get into a position such as a nurse manager to help change the nursing practices in your unit.
Advanced Degree: Complete a Master’s degree in nursing in order to increase knowledge base (Jankelová & Joniaková, 2021) and acquire eligibility to perform more complex tasks.
Research Contribution: Conduct nursing research to enhance knowledge and promote new practices and improvements in care.

Impact on Short-term Goals

Upon completion of a BSN degree, my clinical skill set will be vastly improved by expanding my theoretical knowledge and providing me with more experiences to work with wounds in the clinical setting, which is my ultimate goal. It will also help to prepare me to be an effective teacher to my patients and to obtain a certification as a critical care nurse.

Impact on Long-term Goals

One will have the opportunity to prepare for leadership positions with a BSN degree, as it will assist in developing good management and communication skills. It will also help me to progress towards a Master’s Degree and prepare the knowledge and skills needed to embark on advanced practice roles, completing my postgraduate education and participating in nursing research and practice.

Personal Journey and Nursing Philosophy

I have had a lot of struggles and accomplishments as a nurse, and a lot of my interactions have been very meaningful. It’s been every piece, from doubting myself to knowing that I am a great caregiver and am very empathetic. Each of the patients, each of the smiles, each of the tears spilled has somehow made me a better nurse. The comprehensive approach to nursing, understanding the patient, and personal development is the main part of my nursing philosophy (Aryuwat et al., 2024). As I’m caring for them, I appreciate dignity and struggle for their rights and souls. Compassion and commitment to continual education help to foster an ideal patient environment and to positively impact the profession.

Conclusion

Finally, when I reflect on my nursing career, I have witnessed the importance of being empathetic, practicing with integrity, and continuing to learn. ANA’s commitment to quality care is grounded in the ANA Code of Ethics and the application of standardized nursing language. Underpinned by a BSN degree, this journey and these goals shall make a positive contribution to the lives of the patients.

References

Jankelová, N., & Joniaková, Z. (2021). Communication skills and transformational leadership style of first-line nurse managers in relation to job satisfaction of nurses and moderators of this relationship. Healthcare, 9(3), 346. NCBI. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9030346

King, R., Taylor, B., Talpur, A., Jackson, C., Manley, K., Ashby, N., Tod, A., Ryan, T., Wood, E., Senek, M., & Robertson, S. (2020). Factors that optimise the impact of continuing professional development in nursing: A rapid evidence review. Nurse Education Today, 98(2), 104652. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2020.104652

Molina-Mula, J., & Gallo-Estrada, J. (2020). Impact of nurse-patient relationship on quality of care and patient autonomy in decision-making. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(3), 835. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17030835

Morris, R. L., Ruddock, A., Gallacher, K., Rolfe, C., Giles, S., & Campbell, S. (2020). Developing a patient safety guide for primary care: A co‐design approach involving patients, carers and clinicians. Health Expectations, 24(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.13143

Özaras öz, G., Çakmak, N. C. S., & Günbayi̇İ. (2024). “I want to have stories too”. Nursing students’ views on nursing identity and reasons for choosing nursing as a career: A qualitative study. Nurse Education in Practice, 78, 104009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2024.104009

Palumbo, R. (2020). Improving health professionals’ involvement whilst sustaining work–life balance: Evidence from an empirical analysis. Sustainability, 12(21), 9291. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12219291