Category: Nurse

Nursing is a noble profession requiring dedication, passion, and empathy. It’s a career choice that can make a difference in the lives of countless people, which is why I want to be a nurse. In this essay, I’ll be discussing the reasons why I chose this path and what led me to pursue it.

My Journey to Becoming a Nurse

When I was a kid, I wanted to be a teacher when I grew up because I loved kids and wanted to make an impact on their lives.

However, during my sophomore year of high school, my grandmother became very sick with cancer and passed away when I was 15 years old. This event changed my life forever because it became clear to me that not only am I capable of helping others through difficult times, but it’s also something that gives me great joy as well.

During my grandmother’s time at the hospital, I was moved by the care and attention she received from her nurses. Their ability to provide comfort and support during such an emotional time made me realize how important they were in helping my family cope with our loss. Seeing them work so hard to make her last days as comfortable as possible inspired me to pursue my own career in healthcare.

That’s why I decided that nursing would be the perfect career choice because it combines both medicine and caring for people in need — two things that are very important to me!

My Reasons for Pursuing This Path

Making a Meaningful Difference in People’s Lives

The most important reason for choosing nursing is being able to make a difference in people’s lives every single day. Nurses are on the front lines of patient care, providing comfort and support when it is needed most. They have the ability to make an impact on patients’ lives by advocating for their needs and providing compassionate care throughout their medical journey. This is something that I am passionate about, making sure that each patient has the best experience possible. That’s why I want to be a nurse!

Developing Deep Connections With Patients and Their Families

Another reason why I want to be a nurse is because of the meaningful relationships that can be formed with patients and their families. In my opinion, this is one of the most rewarding aspects of being a nurse—being able to connect with patients emotionally as well as providing physical care. It is also incredibly gratifying when you are able to help patients through difficult times or celebrate successes with them – it truly makes being a nurse so special!

Abilities for Development

Nursing is a field with countless opportunities to grow and develop. There are numerous certifications available that allow you to specialize in sub-disciplines like geriatrics or hospice care. Not only that, but there are many options for those who want to continue their education or broaden their career paths. Plus, there’s the potential for travel and relocation if you’re looking for something new and exciting!

Contributing To Improving Healthcare On A Larger Scale

Lastly, becoming a nurse means having the opportunity to contribute towards improving healthcare on a larger scale. Nurses are essential members of any healthcare team, ensuring that processes are running smoothly while advocating for better patient care across all stages of treatment. Being able to play an instrumental role in improving standards within our field is something that motivates me every day—it really reinforces my decision to become a nurse!

Conclusion

Whether it’s connecting with patients on an emotional level or using your knowledge and skill set to provide quality care, nursing offers something unique that no other profession does — the chance to make a difference in someone else’s life every single day. The field of nursing is changing rapidly and becoming more progressive each day. Nurses are always learning new things about medicine and about taking care of patients — there’s always something new for you to learn!

For these reasons (and more), I am passionate about pursuing this career path and look forward to seeing what lies ahead on my journey towards becoming a nurse!

Patients receive pain relief (anesthesia) from a licensed anesthesiologist before, during, and after surgery. They prescribe medications to keep patients sleepy or painless during surgery, and they continue to monitor the patient’s livelihood activities. CRNAs (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists) are amazingly trained nurses who use their advanced knowledge in nerve control to alleviate pain and discomfort in the current clinical practice of patients. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, the demand for certified registered nurse anesthetists in the United States is growing rapidly and continuously. Certified registered nurse anesthetists play an important role in the clinic business the help of ensuring that the comfort, care, and safety of patients deliver antidepressants through a strong educational process and practical knowledge.

The fact that being a certified registered nurse anesthetist is one of the highest-paid nursing professions is one of the reasons I have chosen it. A certified registered nurse anesthetist earns an average of $189,190 per year, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. My desire to become a registered nurse anesthetist from a previous experience helped me to respect the place and its qualities, as did many others who have chosen to pursue health care. Growing up in a single-parent home gave me a sense of responsibility and the ability to cope with difficult situations. In the wide range of technologies accessible to nurses, being a certified registered nurse always makes me aware. Self-sufficiency attracts me because there is a desire to help the growth of patients through surgical treatment without unnecessary pain, as well as a satisfaction that other professionals can no longer bring. My ambition is to visit poor areas and provide medical assistance to those who are unlucky. Because my understanding and knowledge are not enough, I aim to comfort, help and encourage them all in their difficult times.

As mentioned earlier, my motivation for being a certified registered nurse anesthetist comes from my experience, which I hope gave me valuable skills as a real nurse. I am confident that as a student in the nursing program, I will be able to achieve my professional goals, which include gaining the essential skills I wish to earn a Master of Science degree in Nursing Anesthesia and further my education. Commitment and contribution to the state as a whole. I hope that working as a certified registered nurse anesthetist will enable me to better understand and testify.

Principles of the Care Professions

Nurses work in a multi- disciplinary team, working in different settings and “care for patients suffering from a variety of health conditions, ranging from minor injuries and ailments to acute and long-term illnesses and diseases.” (AGCAS Editors, 2019) Comparing this to what a pharmacist entails, they also work as part of a multi-disciplinary team, giving individuals guidance and information on anything they are concerned about and receive prescribed drugs by the doctors. The pharmacy technicians dispense these which are then checked by the pharmacist (or vice versa) before given to the individual of the general public. In the nursing profession, an aim is to gain the patients trust and to care for them, similarly to a pharmacist as the individual needs to trust they are telling them the right information and giving them the correct medication while both keeping all information confidential. Some of the nurse’s responsibilities are to make care plans and carry out observations, give injections and dress wounds. In contrast to these responsibilities, pharmacists are constantly keeping up to speed with the development of new drugs and how safe they are and need to have good knowledge on the current legislations and codes of practice they are required to follow, nurses sharing this same responsibility.

Professional Education and Registration

To become an Adult nurse at Queen Margaret University, you study for four years and the standard SQA higher requirements is BBBB, including a literary subject, a science and N5 maths at a B. (QMU, 2020) In contrast with a pharmacist, at Robert Gordon University you study MPharm for also four years with the requirements of AABB, including chemistry, two other sciences at a B and English or another written based subject at a C. (RGU, no date) Once the individual has completed their degree, they must both register with their governing body to be able to work. To become a nurse, you must register with the Nursing Midwifery Council (NMC) and to register as a pharmacist, register with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC.) Both of these govern body’s both set the standards for the profession and regulate the bodies within it. Before a nurse can register, they must complete a nursing programme of education that is checked and accepted by the NMC and in contrast to this, a pharmacist must have successfully completed one year of pre-registration training while collecting evidence. The process on becoming registered for a pharmacist is to go through occupational health checks and join the PVG scheme, while similarly a nurse goes through health and character checks. Both professions have to complete a range of individual assessments to meet the registers standards.

Code of conduct

Code of conducts are standards that are set by the governing body for the individual within that profession to follow. The NMC and GPhC set the behaviour that is expected from the people that are registered with them and states what that body’s principles and values are. One of the NMC’s codes are to “prioritise people”, (NMC,2018) this is very similar to one for pharmacists which is “make the care of patients your first concern.” (RPS, no date) Both professions have a duty of care to always look after the patient in the best way possible, making them your priority and where necessary, raising a concern or referring the patient to the GP or another health practitioner. Another code for pharmacists is to “be honest and trustworthy”, (RPS, no date) again being similar to the nurse’s code of “promote professionalism and trust.” (NMC,2018) Both nurses and pharmacists need to have a trustworthy manner to their patients at all time while always being professional and being honest in and at work. These professionals should know the limit of their own abilities and ask for assistance if need be. As you can see here, a lot of the codes for nurses and pharmacists resemble each other and link together, highlighting the importance of care and dignity that these professions both have to have. If an individual fails to follow these codes it can lead to serious consequences, including taking responsibility for their own actions and being removed from the register, showing just how significant these codes are.

CPD

Revalidation is the process of providing CPD (continuing professional development) records to remain on the register which keeps your knowledge and aims up to date and assesses the quality of your patient care. A nurse has to do this every three years, while a pharmacist has to do it annually. Both nursing and pharmacy records towards their CPD are based on learning activities that show development over the three years or year for pharmacists. A nurse can provide up to 35 hours of CPD with a minimum of 20 hours being participatory learning (involved and communicating with others, evidence of a communication with at least one other professional. For example, taking part in a workshop) and the rest could be non-participatory (individual) learning. In contrast with the pharmacist CPD requirements, they too can provide two types of learning that are similar- planned learning (individual expands their knowledge prior to an activity, for example, a day training) and unplanned learning (an event taking place that didn’t have any learning developed before occurring.) Only four CPD records can be submitted for pharmacists, there can be at least two that are ‘planned’ and only two can be ‘unplanned.’ Alongside this they need to submit a reflective account record and a discussion record. Both nursing and pharmacist records have to provide evidence of these activities taking place, how it helped widen their knowledge/skills and has to be pertinent to their practise.

Clinical Governance

“Clinical governance is the system through which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care, by creating an environment in which clinical excellence will flourish.” (Department of Health, 2010) Nurses and Pharmacists both apply to this. Clinical governance is an “umbrella term” (RCN, 2020) meaning there is multiple tasks these professionals do that support them on enhancing the quality of services and care they are delivering to improve patient care, for example, their CPD. Clinical supervision is involved in clinical governance, this can be carried out by someone in the same profession. Clinical supervision gives professionals like these nurses and pharmacists the opportunity to reflect on their performance and improve their skills and quality of care.

There are five key themes under clinical governance: “Patient focus, information focus, quality improvement, staff focus and leadership.” (RCN, 2019) These themes provide an outline of what improves patient care. If the care from a nurse or pharmacist is patient focussed, it is looking at the needs of the patient and providing the best care that suits them as an individual. This is not only benefiting the person receiving your service, but also the service given is benefitted from their quality of care too.

Issues may arise in the nurses and pharmacist’s workplace regarding clinical governance. One could be that there are poor communication skills between the pharmacists and other members of team in the pharmacy and similarly, between the nurses and the multi-disciplinary team. This could affect patient care as both professions have to work in a team to deliver the best quality care possible. If there is a lack of effort or miscommunication from others, then it won’t work or be as effective.

Ethical Issues and Professional Boundaries

Ethics are moral principles that affect your decisions and behaviour. When nurses and pharmacists are faced with situations that they are unsure on what the ‘right’ thing to do is, they will need to use their professional judgement and be able to justify it. These ethical decisions are made by having the knowledge of what is best care possible for the patient. However, occasionally “these involve weighing the patient’s interests and negative consequences which can occur if the law is broken when fulfilling this.” (RPS, 2012) This statement is similar for nurses and pharmacists as they both deal with this challenge. The three main ethical issues in nursing are: “do no harm/do good, trustworthiness/truth – telling and honesty/justice and fairness, respect for personhood/ respect for individual autonomy.” (Siviter, 2013, p.112) Comparing this to pharmacists, these will be ethical issues they face too.

Conclusion

Throughout this report I have compared and contrasted between both nurses and pharmacists, whilst showing some similarities they share. I have looked at their individual education requirements at universities and what training is required to then register with the NMC and GPhC. The importance of following the Code of Conduct and the revalidation process through CPD records have been highlighted thoroughly and a lot of similarities were shown here, like some of the Code’s. The ethical issues I have discussed, both nurses and pharmacists have to deal with, and the clinical governance ‘umbrella’ term is significant to all healthcare. Although pharmacists and nurses both share some of the same aims/responsibilities, do have a great amount of differences too, but are both just as important to our health care system.

References

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2. Department of Health. (2020) Clinical Governance @ https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Patientsafety/Clinicalgovernance/index.htm (date last accessed: 18/11/2020)
3. General Pharmaceutical Council. (2020) How to Complete Your Revalidation @ https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/revalidation-glance (date last accessed: 18/11/2020)
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9. Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2019) Continuing Professional Development @ http://revalidation.nmc.org.uk/what-you-need-to-do/continuing-professional-development.html (date last accessed: 18/11/2020)
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Growing up, I always strived to help anyone in need, and saw the onscreen media images and programs about life as a nurse and in the medical field, and dreamt that one day I could be just like them. I grew up reading books about childhood characters going to the doctor as well as children’s informational books, both picture as well as full text, about the medical field as well as medical information. I have always known that in my future career, I want to be a part of an occupation that is challenging, interesting, and makes a difference in people’s lives every day. Throughout childhood and into high school, I believed that I was going to become a pediatric nurse practitioner. However, that concept was later changed.

For the course of my junior year of high school, I leaped at the opportunity to be a part of the Howell High School Health Occupation program. Throughout the first semester, we spent time in the classroom learning patient care skills as well as vital information that we would later apply during the second semester. Later in the year, during the second semester, we had the chance to be a part of seven hands-on, real-life, clinical experiences, and in the third week of rotations, I set up a night shift elective clinical at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Ann Arbor, on the labor and delivery unit. That night alongside myself were many college nursing students taking part in their rotations as well. However, being still in high school, having little medical experience, and never seeing any type of birth before, I was quite anxious about watching the deliveries and being a part of the process leading up to deliveries firsthand.

The rooms in the unit were spacious and filled with earthy neutral colors, feelings of anticipation, and longing to meet a soon-to-be-born. At the beginning of the night, the nurse I was with and I spend most of the time monitoring the mothers and babies, administered medicine, and I was able to see IVs get started. Though it was the middle of the night, I quickly realized that the unit never slows down. However, all the nurses were calm and supportive of every patient they saw. A few hours into our shift, one of our patients was ready for an epidural to get placed. The thought of a 16-gage hollow needle and epidural catheter going approximately 5 to 7 centimeters into the epidural space of the spine gave me the chills and the thought that I would be freaking out if I was the patient. However, the anesthetist was able to calmly talk to the patient and have her relaxed to then insert the needle.

Not long after the epidural kicked in the mother was ready to deliver her baby. The delivery lasted longer than the mother was prepared for and expected. She had come to the point of exhaustion after an hour of pushing where she was completely certain that she could no longer continue. In between a push, the nurse looked at her and said: “Rest for a moment. Look at me”, “You are strong and going to do this. You can do this”. That moment was the biggest turning point for me. Her words were submerged and embedded into the patient’s mind, and she found the strength to keep going. It was then when the women were at their lowest place, both physically and mentally, when then that the nurse freed the patients. Not long after the sound of a new baby cry and a whiff of the distinctive smell of blood, as well as the scent of amniotic fluid, which was new to me, filled the room.

After the birth was complete and the mother received adequate time for skin-to-skin, we were able to begin baby care. I had never taken care of a baby or even held one for more than a few minutes, therefore, I did not have a clear set of expectations aside from concepts that I had previously read and learned about. To my surprise, I felt particularly connected to the newborns. It felt natural to hold them and to take care of them as I provided baby care, which included taking vital signs, diapering, and properly identifying them. The lingering indescribable newborn scent of vernix caseosa, the substance that covers babies when they’re born, remained after we had swaddled the baby. I stared at the tiny wrapped-up baby for a moment and the realization hit me that a new life had entered the world, and I helped be a part of that process.

Hours later, I heard that there was a scheduled cesarean section and was given the chance to see the operation. I was truly amazed at how calmly and confidently the doctors and nurses in the operating room handled themselves. The room was so organized and sterile that it was hard to imagine it being anyway else. Yet again they successfully delivered another healthy baby. It was remarkable to me that at 9 p.m. I was checking the mother’s vitals, at 10 p.m. I was watching the physicians sew back together the mother’s uterus, which was exposed on top of her abdomen, and by midnight I could only see a thin incision mark on her abdomen.

Throughout the night during the other births, I was a part of I came to the conclusion that I would never guess the nurses and doctors do this all the time because the level of excitement they have about every new baby is always the same. Having a career in obstetrics was never completely considered when looking ahead at my future, however, this clinical rotation changed my mind and plans. This made me want to become a labor and delivery nurse. Through my rotation, as well as talking with mothers, I learned enough to know that no mother ever forgets her labor and delivery nurse. I strive to become a labor and delivery nurse due to the gift they give when they helped patients realize a strength they never knew they had, a strength deep inside themselves. A strength that takes women into motherhood and changes how they see the world forever.

I am writing this essay to express my interest in the American government scholarship for young Christians for a bachelor of nursing science. as you can see from my CV, I have always shown interest in working with patients I have a relevant experience from voluntary work which I carried out at private clinic.

My interest to pursue a career in nursing was largely contributed to my volunteer experience at Keno and Exotic private hospital where I worked as a health educator and health care assistant, in this position I had sole responsibility for taking care of some patient’s daily needs, such as cleaning, feeding, exercise and educating them on how to live, improve and maintain a healthy lifestyle. through these hands-on experiences, learned the importance of service to humanity and developed a positive attitude toward improving the lives of people. In the hospital where I worked I witnessed the way nurses carry out their duties with love, care, and respect towards patients, this further motivates me to seek a career working with patients, therefore becoming a nurse is the logical choice to meet this ambition.

Also, with the basic knowledge of biology from my previous biology class, I got attracted to human reproduction, anatomy and how drugs interact with human body. over the years my huge concern has been how people with chronic diseases can survive but I later learned that nurses play instrumental in ensuring they become stable. Getting this scholarship opportunity to study and graduate as a nurse in the USA will not only equip me with knowledge but help me explore and solve complex societal problems both at home and abroad, and also provide me with skills needed for the modern challenge and problem-solving strategy. I know that studying nursing abroad can be very stressful and difficult but I believe. I will overcome any difficult situation.

I am confident that I will achieve my goal of becoming a successful nurse, who will offer help to people in pain as nurses play a vital role in caring for patients and I believe this scholarship will help me achieve this goal of mine. I am committed to giving back to my community from my international experience thereby bringing a positive impact to people. I want to establish a non-profit organization where I can provide internships to nursing and other medical students in my community and allow them to travel to isolated communities in the world to provide free medical services to people. Also, I will take part in enlightening them on nutrition education, disease control, and preventive measure. I will work together in a team with other qualified health professionals to bring out the best possible outcome for people, especially patients.

Thank you for considering my application and the time spent in reading this essay.

Reflecting on my educational experiences, I have Adult Nursing is what I want to do. My interest in Adult Nursing grew and was recognized when doing a work placement at an elderly nursing home named Charlton Park Care Home. I later got an offer to take on a paid part-time job as a health care assistant in the dementia unit. The reason why I am interested to study nursing at university is the idea of supporting and giving back to the community on a larger scale. I want to be able to support others who are in need and are incapable to aid for themselves, Adult Nursing is an altruistic profession that I want to be a part of. It also allows me to work in numerous places, therefore, it introduces different work scenarios to experience throughout this career, which is what I am up for.

Throughout my academic years in college, I have learned how vital person-centered care and the 6c’s are in the Adult Nursing field. A prime example of the 6c’s is communication. This enhances morality and values to support adult patients during their care and the aftermath, for instance checking up on patients and ensuring they are persistent with doctor’s instructions and comprehensive care is provided. As well as to add that I have gained more understanding of the NHS how it started, how it works, and why it was put in place. At university, I am looking forward to studying how the body works, in terms of what to do and how to treat it, and using the same equipment you will find in a healthcare setting.

Whilst at the nursing home during my work experience, I really enjoyed taking part in creating activities for the residents and their families, communicating and taking care of them, and reassuring them if they feel anxious. The service users had different needs and conditions, and I have gained an understanding of how to equalize and adjust their individual needs and meet them which exhibits my use of initiative. That alone attracts me, even more, to take on adult nursing. I have learned how to work well in teams with other professionals and has made me increase the value of how significant it is to obey instructions given by the senior staff. It helped me to realize how important it is to reassure the service users and that is a vital skill to have as a nurse. I also took away from the experience what it is like to work, working according to time, routines to be followed ensuring that everything is set in advance, this helped me in terms of being organized and how important it is to be. These skills will help me in university too in terms of being on time for lectures, preparing and planning ahead of time, and more.

As part of my course, it required another work placement where I chose a primary school and worked with receptionists aged 4-5 years old. Although they are early years, what I have grasped from this experience can be interpreted and put into practice when working with adults. Skills and attributes such as: communicating and listening, patience, staying calm in an emergency, and dealing with challenging behavior. The idea of working under pressure is satisfying as it causes the best possible job to be fulfilled, whether it is reassuring a stressed patient or treating serious conditions. Again this is another reason why I want to be a nurse.

By becoming a nurse I look forward to supporting the NHS. By attending conferences held by other nurses from many different wards, I would hope to learn and benefit from these meetings as they would have an effective input towards the changing quality of patient care. When I have time to spare, I like going to the gym as it allows me to think, reflect and keep fit. Besides this, I enjoy taking part in singing in a choir at church. Going into Adult Nursing I know how difficult it can be and I am willing to embrace the challenge. Nurses have the ability to make choices and decisions that consider diverse support which is considered to individual needs. Choosing this career will help fill my ambitions of supporting individuals, caring for individuals, and understanding what nursing is all about.

In a world filled with endless career possibilities, there are few paths as rewarding and fulfilling as nursing. It is a profession that calls upon the compassionate, the dedicated, and the resilient. For me, nursing is not just a career choice; it is a lifelong commitment to making a difference in the lives of others. From the tender moments of providing comfort to patients in their most vulnerable states to the exhilaration of witnessing healing and recovery, nursing offers a unique blend of challenges and rewards. However, amidst the calling to care, there lies the responsibility to maintain professional boundaries. 

Why I Chose Nursing

Nursing has always held a special place in my heart, and choosing it as my career path was a natural decision for me. The desire to help others and positively impact people’s lives has been ingrained in me since I was a child. As I grew older, this passion grew stronger, and it became clear that nursing was the perfect profession to fulfill my calling.

One of the main reasons I chose nursing is the opportunity it provides to care for individuals in their most vulnerable moments. Being there for patients during times of illness or injury, offering comfort and support, and assisting in their recovery process is a truly rewarding experience. The ability to make a difference in someone’s life, no matter how small, is something that I find incredibly fulfilling.

Moreover, nursing is a field that offers diverse career options. From working in hospitals to community health centers, nursing homes to schools, the opportunities are vast and varied. This flexibility allows me to explore different areas of nursing and find my niche, whether it be in pediatrics, geriatrics, mental health, or any other specialized field. The ability to adapt and grow within the profession is another aspect that drew me towards nursing.

About Nursing Career

Another significant factor in my decision to pursue nursing is the job security and stability it offers. The demand for nurses is consistently high and is projected to continue growing in the coming years. This ensures that I will have ample opportunities for employment and career growth. The stability and financial security that nursing provides are important considerations for me as I plan for my future.

Nursing is also a profession that values lifelong learning and personal growth. The field is constantly evolving, and nurses are required to stay up-to-date with the latest medical advancements and best practices. This commitment to continuous education and professional development ensures that I will always be challenged and motivated to improve my knowledge and skills.

Professional Boundaries in Nursing

Maintaining professional boundaries is a fundamental aspect of nursing practice. It refers to the appropriate separation between the nurse’s professional role and their personal relationships with patients. These boundaries help ensure the provision of safe, ethical, and patient-centred care. As a nurse, it is crucial to understand and uphold these boundaries to maintain professionalism and protect both the patient and the nurse.

One of the key elements of professional boundaries is maintaining a therapeutic relationship with the patient. This means that the focus of the nurse-patient relationship should be solely on the patient’s needs and well-being. Establishing clear boundaries is essential to avoid conflicts of interest or personal involvement that may compromise the nurse’s objectivity or the patient’s care.

Confidentiality is another critical aspect of professional boundaries in nursing. Nurses have a legal and ethical duty to protect patient information and maintain confidentiality at all times. Sharing patient information without proper authorization or discussing patient cases outside of professional settings is a breach of professional boundaries and can lead to severe consequences.

Furthermore, it is important for nurses to recognize and manage any personal biases or prejudices they may have. Nurses must treat all patients with respect, dignity, and without discrimination, regardless of their personal beliefs or values. Setting aside personal opinions and providing unbiased care is essential to ensure that every patient receives equitable treatment.

Lastly, nurses must be aware of the power imbalance inherent in the nurse-patient relationship. Nurses have a position of authority and influence over their patients, and it is important to use this power responsibly and ethically. Nurses should avoid any actions or behaviors that may exploit or abuse their position of power.

Conclusion

In conclusion, my decision to pursue nursing was driven by a deep-seated desire to positively impact the lives of others and provide compassionate care during their most vulnerable moments. Nursing has proven to be a dynamic and diverse career that offers endless opportunities for growth and specialization. It is a field that demands continuous learning, adaptability, and a commitment to personal and professional development.

However, nurses must also navigate the delicate balance of maintaining professional boundaries alongside the immense privilege of caring for others. Upholding these boundaries ensures the delivery of safe, ethical, and patient-centred care. It requires nurses to establish therapeutic relationships, maintain confidentiality, manage personal biases, respect physical boundaries, and use their power responsibly.

As I embark on this journey into nursing, I am aware of the challenges that lie ahead. But I am also filled with a deep sense of purpose and a commitment to upholding the values and principles that define this noble profession. With each step I take, I will carry the torch of compassion, empathy, and professionalism, guided by the unwavering belief that nursing is not just a career, but a calling to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.

This assignment explores the concept of professionalism in nursing terms. It will also seek to examine the terms communication, compassion, and person-centered care. I will use literature and examples from personal experience to explore the relationship and roles of professionalism and the importance of communication and compassion in delivering person-centered care.

Professionalism is a difficult concept to define as there is not a concise and definitive definition available. To be a professional means different things to different people. Morrow et al, (2011) highlighted this difficulty during their study investigating students’ perceptions of professionalism in health care professionals. Their study focused on students including chiropodist podiatrists, occupational therapists, and paramedic students. This study did not include nursing students but it is important as it highlights while there is no one definition of professionalism there was an agreement between the students that professionalism depends on many different aspects. It is a holistic concept. It is about the relationship between the practitioner and the patient service user. It includes how the practitioner behaves and communicates, their appearance, body language, uniform, and dress, and the context in which treatment is to be given.

The holistic concept of professionalism is a view shared by (McCormack and McCance, 2006). They established four prerequisites in their work to develop a framework to develop person-centered care. These prerequisites focused on the attributes of the nurse, the care environment, person-centered processes, and expected outcomes. It is the relationship between the prerequisites that are important to delivering effective care, each being dependent on the other.

The Code of Practice (NMC, 2018) goes further and formally sets out what constitutes professionalism in the nursing profession in the form of standards. The standards are set out under the four headings prioritize people, practice effectively, preserve safety, and promote professionalism and trust. The Code and literature highlight that professionalism in nursing is not solely based on the technical knowledge and the competency of the nurse practitioner but is an integrated approach with relationships being at the core.

Relationships are central to the care of patients. Building up a good rapport with patients is important. (Lawal, 2019) show the importance of good relationships when helping patients and service users suffering from diabetes manage their conditions effectively. The building up of trust and good communication improves the patient’s service users’ experience and raises their expectations of nurses. The NMC (2018) emphasizes that nurses should be ambassadors for their profession and that professionalism is the responsibility of each individual nurse. Continual professional development and learning to enhance skills together with reflecting on practice will lead to care with the patient being prioritized and them receiving safe and effective care. (NMC, 2021).

The media also play a part in forming the public’s perceptions of what it means to be a professional both good and bad. Morrow et al (2011) found that paramedics could be seen as taxi drivers if patients didn’t watch dramas such as Casualty. The clap for carers showed the public appreciation for the work of the wider medical profession. (McKay et al., 2021). The NHS showed in a positive light. The negative tweets that appeared for the clap for carers focused on the lack of resources, PPE, and the treatment of some staff on the frontline. With the good also comes the bad and horror events such as the Muckamore Abbey Hospital abuse scandal can have a damaging effect on how the public sees the nursing and wider medical professional as it was the hospital staff that allegedly mistreated patients with severe learning difficulties and mental health problems. The case is still ongoing with a twenty-seventh arrest being made. (Campbell, 2021). Those who do not uphold the professional standards of the (NMC, 2018) receive sanctions and can be removed from the medical register depending on the severity of the offense. They are no longer a professional.

Being heard and listened to makes communication meaningful. (Alsawy, et al, 2019), in their research examining the importance of good communication for people suffering from dementia. They also found when people feel they are not being listened to they are reluctant to engage in further communication.

Quinn, (2018) concludes that practitioners need to listen to patients to gain a greater understanding of how illness affects each individual so that we have can develop our own learning, especially in relation to delivering care with compassion. Sinclair et al (2016) found that compassion involved showing unconditional love through actions. The patients suffering from cancer wanted to be understood, that is what was important to them. By showing understanding the practitioner showed love.

Person-centered care is about as the name suggests putting the person you are caring for at the center of their care. Each patient is different and comes with their own needs, requirements, wants, and desires. For example, an elderly lady that I cared for was diagnosed with cancer and required treatment. The lady refused the treatment as she did not want people to know that she was sick and didn’t want to lose her hair. Treatment would have been beneficial but I had to put my own personal thoughts aside and give my support in any way possible. The NMC (2021) describes this as ‘working with instead of doing to’. It is about listening to the patient and working with the patient and working together to come up with a treatment plan that is right for the patient. In the above example, treatment would have helped the patient but her wishes were respected and she was listened to.

The Department of Health (2018) produced a report showing how an integrated approach across all the health and social care systems in Northern Ireland would lead to an improvement in the health and well-being of the population. It is about working together, valuing people, focusing on being person-centered and empowering people to take decisions about their care.

The importance of person-centered care was very evident during my time on placement in a hospital ward. When the patient arrived on the ward the nurses immediately communicated with the patient asking them their name and how they would like to be addressed. The nurse introduced themselves and asked them how they were feeling and asked if they required further assistance. Permission was gained for consent to administer nursing care. An assessment booklet was completed with the patient. This is a useful opportunity for the nurse to sit down and communicate with the patient, build up a relationship, and get to know the patient. Assessment booklets to the ward require much information to be recorded about the patient so that an all-around picture of the patient can be achieved. One particular area asks what is important to the patient. A female patient with five children had been admitted to the ward with a headache and raised blood pressure. Returning home as soon as possible was imperative for her as she had three children with additional needs. One of the children was unable to cope with the change of routine at home and he was self-harming in school. This news was not conducive to the patient getting better. The medical team in agreement with the patient decided it was best for the patient to return home. The patient was to monitor her blood pressure daily and was advised to come back if her blood pressure went above a certain level. She was also given outpatient appointments to address other concerns. The patient was listened to and all of her needs were addressed. The patient was very happy with her care and thanked everyone for the way she had been looked after.

A male patient who had a limited English vocabulary was admitted to the ward. The staff used language apps and an interpreter was made available to help the patient understand what was happening. One of the housekeeping team could also communicate with him. After a meeting with the medical team in which the interpreter was present, it was decided with the patient’s agreement that he would go for a scan and if the results were clear he would be able to return home. This pleased the patient. However, after the team and interpreter left the patient became very agitated and aggressive. He kept shouting home. The staff tried to communicate with him but he did not want to engage with anybody. He opened curtains when a patient was receiving personal care. He pushed a nursing student who fell to the ground. He was shouting and waving his arms around. He would not speak to the interpreter. The other patients in the ward were frightened and told him to stop. The manager told him he could leave and so he did. The patient did not want to receive more nursing care even though he was happy during the meeting and the interpreter said that he was happy to stay in the hospital.

Relationships break down when a suitable conclusion for both parties cannot be reached. The hospital staff tried to work with the patient had tried to communicate with the patient using several techniques but the patient did not want to engage with them. The language barrier and the patient himself were the obstacles to receiving person-centered care. The staff remained calm and tried to resolve the situation. The ward manager had showed good leadership. He remained calm and was a good role model. He did his best in a difficult situation.

Other potential barriers could be if a patient has special needs and is unable to communicate or express their thoughts, wishes, or feelings. In this case, the nurse needs to act as an advocate for the patient. NMC (2018) For example, a male patient in his sixties with diabetes and a learning difficulty needed to be wakened every hour to record his ketone and blood sugar levels. The gentleman was very ill but permission was still asked to carry out the procedures. The patient was still involved in his care. The hospital staff worked alongside the patient, his family, and the nursing home.

The global Covid Pandemic has been shown to have had a detrimental impact on NHS staff with immense pressure put on staff looking after sick and dying patients. (McKay et al., 2021) and (de Oliveira, da Cunha Reis, de Melo Franco, and Braga, 2021) show the negative impact especially the burnout rate among nurses. They ranked sixth in the world. More research is needed in this area to establish the full effects of the pandemic as there is a lack of research available at present. RCN Northern Ireland, (2021) has commissioned a study to highlight the experiences of nurses in Northern Ireland during the pandemic. Southern Trust (2021) has launched an appeal to ask for nurses and healthcare assistants to come to work as they are short-staffed. When nurses are sick and the hospitals are short staffed there is not always the time to give patients the time they want at that particular time. In this case, the NMC (2018) advises expressing regret and making time later in the shift, and ensuring that at the end of the shift report if the patient needs extra support or time to talk.

Professionalism and leadership are strongly linked. Every nurse can be a leader as it involves demonstrating good practice in whatever role you are in. As a student nurse, I was able to observe examples of good role models. These included those nurses who demonstrated compassion and were humble. They respected their patients treating them as Quinn (2020) puts it as ‘partners’ in their care. They also had good medical knowledge, answered patients’ questions fully, and if they didn’t know the answer they went and found the answer before returning to their patient and reporting back. I felt honored and proud when patients referred to me as a nurse even when they knew I was a student and I was commended for my attentiveness.

For future practice, I will continue to strive to be the best nurse that I can be, reflect on my actions, and learn from my colleagues and patients remembering that each patient is a unique individual.

Communication and compassion are at the heart of building up relationships which are essential in delivering person-centered care. They form the basis of professionalism in nursing.

Reference Section

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This essay will explore how reading the article ‘Nurse’s responsibility when using social media’ (Barrett, 2018) and investigating the concept of professionalism has helped me develop my understanding of nursing throughout this module. To begin, there will be an explanation of the key concepts within the article, and how researching these concepts has improved my understanding of nursing. There will then be a summary of the chosen article and the main concepts involved. Following this, the essay will explore a more detailed view of social media, including the positives and negatives that come along with it. Then I will examine the difficulty of setting boundaries and guidelines for social media. I will use references to other articles and studies to explain my points. Finally, the conclusion will explore what I have learned and how this will benefit me in placement.

One key concept of the chosen article is professionalism and accountability. The Nursing and Midwifery Council makes it clear that you are accountable for your own actions and the codes are in place to protect both you and the patients (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2013). In 1919, the Nurse Registration Act was passed, meaning that all nurses in Britain achieved the highly regarded status of an accountable profession. This meant that registered nurses were accountable for their work and could now lose their job for ‘unprofessional behavior’ (Tilley and Watson 2004). The passing of this Act, therefore, led to the setting of the standards we have today, such as the Nursing and Midwifery Council. Researching the Nursing and Midwifery Council has significantly developed my understanding of nursing as I am more aware of the background as to how the standards we follow today were formed. Over time, more rules and regulations have been added to stay up to date with modern advances such as technology. One branch of Professionalism that I am now thoroughly aware of is e-professionalism. E-professionalism encapsulates the attitudes and behaviors that reflect traditional professionalism, but through digital media (Kaczmarczyk, 2013). This is how your actions online should be the same rules as in practice – you wouldn’t share private information about a patient in person, and therefore you shouldn’t share this information online either. Learning about this has enabled me to be aware of how Professionalism should be applied in person, and with my actions online. Additionally, studying e-professionalism has further developed my understanding of nursing as I am now aware of both Professionalism and Accountability in more detail and how their rules and regulations were to come about. I have always been somewhat aware of the rules and regulations that are in place concerning what can and cannot be shared on social media, such as it being unacceptable for nurses’ midwives and nursing associates to discuss matters related to people in their care outside clinical settings (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2015). However, my understanding has deepened during this module as am I now aware of how social media creates a ‘context collapse’ (Cooper and Inglehearn, 2015) where communication is changed based on the situation the individual is in, with social media and its influences being the main reason for this change.

The article chosen for discussion is entitled ‘Nurse’s responsibility when using social media’ (Barrett, 2018) based on ‘Uncovering cyber incivility among nurses and nursing students on Twitter’ (De Gagne et al, 2019). The article begins by setting the context and explaining how social media has evolved throughout the last decade. It then explains the cross-sectional approach from registered and student nurses, before going on to dissect the study and the findings from inappropriate tweets. The article mentions how the NMC guidelines state that the mentioned tweets are inappropriate.

The main topic of this article is Professionalism. The writing includes professionalism standards and how nurses have accountability within their job role, which has therefore improved my understanding of nursing and how to behave in the role. The essence of this article is about ‘uncivil’ tweets from registered or student nurses. Tweets were observed for 6 weeks and almost nine thousand tweets from just 163 individual users were taken to be evaluated to establish if they were considered to be ‘uncivil’. The basis for choosing these tweets was that they may have been deemed derogatory, unprofessional, disrespectful, or have contained aggressive language (Barrett, 2018). The study showed that 37% of the nurses included in the sample had posted inappropriate messages and of the 8934 tweets analyzed, 4.6% were classified as ‘uncivil’. (De Gagne et al, 2019). This study reinforces the professional standards set by the Nursing and Midwifery Council – ‘Use all forms of spoken, written and digital communication (including social media and networking sites) responsibly’ (Nursing and Midwifery Council, 2013). The article shows that quite a significant proportion of nurses act unprofessionally over social media, with acts committed such as discriminatory language and breaches of patient confidentiality (Barrett, 2018). This study has shown how even with NMC guidance on e-professionalism, there is still a huge lack of understanding, or perhaps respect, for what can and cannot be posted. An example of this is that the article mentions that some tweets were classed as ‘uncivil’. However, everyone’s opinion of what is ‘uncivil’ will differ, and therefore what some may see as ‘uncivil’ others won’t. This makes it difficult for nurses to know what exactly is classed as ‘uncivil’ therefore what is acceptable under the current guidelines. I chose this article as in today’s society, social media plays a huge role in our daily lives and often our careers. Although social media offers huge opportunities to promote nursing in a variety of ways, it also comes with many risks of breaching professional behavior.

With the main concept of this article being Professionalism, I have been able to look into this concept in depth, particularly e-professionalism. The chosen article mentions how social media can be used in a positive way such as by promoting healthcare, but the main purpose of the article is to show the risks that come with it too. It addresses the boundaries nurses have and how their professional image can be put at risk by their actions on social media. The 37% of nurses in the study who had posted a tweet that was classed as inappropriate had gone against their duty of care to care for a patient and protect their privacy. 275 of the nurses admitted that they used social media to share stories about their work life, with 32% reporting that one of their colleagues posted information about patients, and 12% of those included photos of the patient (Keast, 2015). This often led to misconduct investigations and resulted in them being excluded or being unable to join the professional register. Consequently, this has helped improve my understanding of Professionalism as I am now aware of the consequences of posting on social media and how important it is to understand e-professionalism and the rules that come with it, so I can use social media effectively and improve future patient care.

On the other hand, social media cannot be completely criticized. For example, one of the many positive aspects that have come from social media is the #hellomynameis campaign which encouraged nurses to introduce themselves before going ahead with the care of a patient (Granger, 2013). One study showed that social media within healthcare settings led to more engagement within clinical settings and it led to better care for patients (Waldrop and Wink, 2016). This links to the article I chose on ‘Nurse’s responsibility when using social media’ (Barrett, 2018) as it enhances nurses’ understanding of e-professionalism to show them how to use social media effectively. In addition, another positive aspect of social media is how easily accessible it is. One-third of adults use a form of social media to help diagnose a medical condition (Avci et al, 2015). Another positive of social media is also highlighted in a cross-sectional survey conducted by Z Wang (Wang Z et al, 2019). This survey showed that 84.5% of nurses in this particular study believed that social media had positive influences on their clinical practice. They used it for receiving messages from work and reading other nurses’ experiences to show they weren’t alone. However, 50.3% of the participants indicated they had witnessed inappropriate posts on social media by their colleagues. This data further highlights that social media can have both positive and negative aspects when it comes to healthcare as it is clear that a large proportion of nurses do use social media inappropriately. However, there is nothing to say that the nurses were aware that what they had posted was inappropriate. This once again shows that if there were clearer boundaries when it comes to e-professionalism, these issues may not occur or may be minimized.

Boundaries are required to achieve self-care. Having boundaries in day-to-day life helps people take care of themselves and without them, we may feel resentful (Nelson, 2016). Having boundaries set in place more often than not leads to the correct choices, and this is the same within boundaries on social media. This links to the main concept of the article – Professionalism – as having boundaries in place will offer the best protection for both healthcare professionals and patients. As mentioned previously, the article states how 37% of nurses identified were judged to have posted inappropriate messages. There does not appear to be any general understanding of what may be classed as ‘inappropriate messages’ or where the line is drawn. The way the public may view a post could be different from the way healthcare professionals do and vice-versa. An example of this is shown in the study ‘Exploring public perspective of e-professionalism in nursing’ (Ryan, 2013). This study concluded that the public makes their own decisions on what’s acceptable for a nurse to post. This decision was based on their personal factors including social and individual values, attitudes, and beliefs. The best way for this to be resolved, according to the public survey respondents, would be to use a separate platform for personal and professional purposes, therefore keeping the two aspects of their lives completely separate. This again highlights how the boundaries when it comes to e-professionalism are not easily defined and make it difficult to use social media effectively. For this to be resolved, both healthcare professionals and patients need to be aware of the limitations of social media. This can be solved by creating boundaries between personal and professional use of social media – such as only professionally discussing patient information – usually in person – rather than over social media. Healthcare professionals should be aware that they have an ethical and legal obligation to maintain patient confidentiality at all times and social media is not safe for protecting any information that they share. All healthcare professionals should therefore have their privacy settings at the highest level possible. The article I chose to discuss states that some tweets were ‘demeaning towards patients’. Although the nurse may have meant no harm or offense in what they posted, the patient or the public could interpret the words in an entirely different way, again showing that the boundaries when it comes to e-professionalism aren’t noticeably clear. If there were boundaries that clearly stated that you were not allowed to mention any scenario about a patient then this would be easily resolved, but there are currently no clear lines as to what can and cannot be posted. leading to uncertainty in following Professionalism Guidelines.

To maintain a high level of professionalism among new nurses, the study of social media should be incorporated into a nurse’s education. (Barnable, Cunning, and Parcon, 2018). By this, E-professionalism should be maintained significantly better as they would be aware of the newest guidelines. However, encouraging students to use social media for communication but still expecting professional boundaries to be obeyed can lead to confusion about how the personal and professional uses of social media differ (Henderson and Dahnke, 2015). Nurses are often unaware of the professional responsibilities of sharing confidential information as it differs from the personal use of it (Westrick, 2016). Therefore, if Professionalism were taught among new nurses, they would be able to maintain their professionalism and they would understand the legal and ethical responsibilities that their profession requires. This links to the chosen article, which states that one of the biggest challenges for nurses is to be clear on where the line is between freedom of expression and unprofessional behavior (Barrett, 2016). It is important to consider how this may also benefit registered nurses due to the ever-changing atmosphere on any social media app. One question that the article puts forward is whether the profanity in tweets really is ‘uncivil’ or is it simply a manifestation of the culture and expectations of the online world. This shows how there need to be clearer boundaries for Nurses to maintain their professionality, and without this, their use of social media will not improve. Although I am now aware of e-professionalism, I still do not fully understand what truly is acceptable and what isn’t for every circumstance, and therefore this shows that until clearer boundaries have been made, people’s understanding of professionalism may be improved.

Overall, my understanding of nursing has significantly developed as I am deeply aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of social media. Before studying the concept of care and learning about accountability, I wasn’t fully aware of how my actions on social media could affect my job. I was aware that I couldn’t speak about patients’ health or post photos of them online as I had previously read about similar cases in the media. However, I was less aware of how posting on my social media about work and my daily social life could have a huge impact on my position; if a patient were to see something on my social media and report me for ‘not being in a fit state to work’, many more allegations could appear and impact not only my career but also my own mental health. Therefore, I am aware of how to use social media in ways that will help me and others, but I am also now aware of the risks that come with it and how to minimize these. I have read – and will continue to read – the NMC guidance, and if I were to speak about a patient online, I would ensure that I have proof of the patient giving me permission. This will help me when I start to practice, as I will be aware of what I can and cannot post and will ensure my social media profiles are private.

In conclusion, my understanding of nursing has increasingly developed during this module. The key concept of Professionalism in the chosen article has made me aware of the NMC guidelines and I am aware of both the ethical and legal obligations I have as a student nurse. I am more aware of the risk of social media and now feel more prepared how to use it correctly, which will help me in my future placements. It is clear to see that the boundaries set by the NMC are not exactly defined, and it is, therefore, best to ensure you are aware that what you’re posting is appropriate, and unless you feel the necessity to, I would not post at all. From exploring the theme of Professionalism, I am aware of how your care for patients and their privacy is constant, including online. I am aware of what the Nursing and Midwifery Code states regarding social media and know I can apply this to practice. I am aware of professionalism and even more so of e-professionalism. In most ways, I do now feel comfortable using social media as it can be useful for many things, such as blogs from experienced staff. I am also aware of what to do if I see uncivil things from other nurses or colleagues as I am aware it is my duty to protect patients. Overall, my understanding has significantly improved, and I am now more prepared and aware of how I can use my understanding of professionalism in practice. For more nurses to be aware of e-professionalism rules and guidance, it should be taught as part of the course. This should therefore lead to fewer inappropriate posts on social media and should improve future healthcare and protect both nurses and patients too. As social media is still growing and changing every day, there should be training for those already registered nurses to maintain consistency for all staff. In conclusion, my understanding of nursing, about professionalism has significantly improved and will benefit me in practice.

Social justice is the action of trying to eliminate, if not reduce the disadvantages experienced by certain groups in populations by distributing resources fairly throughout the population. When talking about resources, it is meant as more than just services that are available, such as public transit. They are defined as “an aspect of having a positive effect on health, such as security of food, sufficient housing, reliable employment, good working conditions, adequate income, education, inclusion in society, and the social safety net” (Canadian Nurses Association, 2009). The social determinants of health are defined as the conditions in which a person is born into and lives in, such as social, and economic factors (Canadian Nurses Association). Social justice in nursing is strongly related to the social determinants of health, which makes it the responsibility of nurses.

Social justice is part of nursing because nurses are morally obligated to sociopolitical advocacy in the practice. This practice is not just something that is done once, but has to be practiced everyday in order to overcome discrimination, and oppression that is encountered in the health care system (Canadian Nurses Association, 2009). Social justice is important in nursing because health is connected to the social determinants of health. The inequality in accessing good food and housing connected to a decrease in health in the population therefore there will be unequal health outcomes for patients. One of the goals as a nurse is “to promote health, to prevent illness, to restore health and to alleviate suffering” (Grace & Willis, 2012). Advocating for social justice will create a safe environment in which a client may not be discriminated against or oppressed. Part of the values as a nurse is to promote a healing environment (Canadian Nurses Association, 2009).

Half of all registered nurses work in a full-time community setting. These nurses are at the frontlines when it comes to knowing social determinants, and the importance of social justice, as well as its relationship to health (Quinn, El Ghaziri, & Knight, 2019). A nurse has access to different resources and is able to reach out to address these issues through other organizations, such as housing support, food banks, and social workers. Nurses then become a cooperative role linked to hospitals and community organizations. “There are seven social determinants of health; conditions of early childhood, access to education, employment and working conditions, income, access to healthy food, access to housing, social inclusion, and built and natural environment” (Canadian Nurses Association).

I have learned from the literature on social justice that nurses need to be vocal about the needs of their patients and have a good understanding of what needs to be done in order to help their patients, despite the social determinants of health. Nurses also need to be aware of their biases in order to prevent any disadvantages that this may cause to the patients. It is important for nurses to be involved in policymaking because they are at the forefront of taking care of their patients. They see every day how the social determinants of health have impacted the people in the community; therefore, it would make sense for nurses to be involved with policymaking in order to insure the best possible outcome for the community and their patients. (Rushton, 2017)

I knew social justice was an important issue nurses needed to face in the workplace and even practice outside of work. However, I did not know just how closely related the social determinants of health were with social justice. Throughout my research I have found that nursing is more than just healing someone’s wounds and taking care of people in hospital. Nursing is about standing up for your patient when they need it and making sure they get the best care possible. Nursing is about providing patients with resources they may need in order to increase their chance at health. It is about making sure resources are in the community for the people who need it so the social determinants of health will not be such a negative factor in someone’s health. (Canadian Nurses Association)

In my learning plan, one of the indicators I picked was 1.1 “being accountable and accepting responsibility for their actions, inactions, decisions and the evaluation of their own practice” (Nova Scotia College of Nursing, 2017). This can pertain to social justice but making sure my patients get the best care from me. The other indicator I used was 1.4 “exercising reasonable judgment and seeking assistance appropriately” (Nova Scotia College of Nursing, 2017). This pertains to social justice because as a nurse you need to have the judgement to see the effects of the social determinants of health and the effect they have on the patients and the community. It is also important to realize you may not have all the answers and you may need help in order to provide the best care for your patient. Seeking assistance from other healthcare providers and social workers will provide the best possible care for your patients.

When I go into clinical settings and eventually become a nurse, I will incorporate social justice in my everyday practice by knowing the social determinants of health. Being aware people may feel uncomfortable discussing their situation. I’ll remain unbiased and unjudgmental, towards their different situations. I want to be able to give my patients the best possible care, and therefore I need to be aware of the resources available so when my patients need them, I am able to give them that information or connect them with someone who can.