Thoughts Regarding Professionalism & Nursing

[Eilana]

As a nurse, how do you display professionalism ... what does 'professionalism' mean to you? What specific characteristics are needed in order to be a professional nurse nowadays? How does a nurse make a difference? Share your thoughts.

[merricat]

to me, professionalism should be displayed by the whole team, CNAs and up, and it should convey an attitude of, its the work that is important. getting it done, doing it well. not the titles or job descriptions (although it is good to stay within scope) or the petty stuff. just the work. and not blaming. and, you see a prblem you fix it-- nurses can empty a urinal, for heaven's sake. my other pet peeve is when people address an issue right in front of the nurse's station. privacy!

[merricat]

Although CNAs are not professionals, QUOTE] huh?

[merricat]

Wow, I envy you. Our nurse leadership is just really.....weird I guess. They argue and kabitz about the strangest things.

That's precisely what I am trying to do - raise the bar. When I looked at the research for my program, the literature stressed how many CNAs are thrown into healthcare with very little to go on; in other words, they are surrounded by educated, credentialed folks and they are expected to succeed and function in an environment and they are not given the tools to do so - at least from a 6 week CNA course. My program is designed to give them what the CNA course doesn't: a sense of pride in their work, and lessons on responsibility, accountability and caring. Our CNAs were fighting in the halls, not answering call lights...it was a mess. We needed to start with the basics. In the future I plan on designing more continuing education courses for them, courses that they can only attend on manager approval and with good annual performance eval scores: Skin & Wound Care, Alternative Therapies and Stress Management were a few of the courses I was considering designing....

sounds brilliant. maybe your turnover rate will even decrease. love to hear how it works out.

[boulergirl, CNA]

merricat, what I meant by CNAs not being "professionals" is that they don't hold a college degree. As a nurse's aide, I don't know that I could call my job a "profession". I don't have credentials. (Once again, folks, I think my foot is headed straight for my mouth.)

[UM Review RN, ASN, RN]

Although CNAs are not professionals

I presume you're referring to the fact that CNAs are certified, not licensed and therefore, not a profession.

[boulergirl, CNA]

presume you're referring to the fact that CNAs are certified, not licensed and therefore, not a profession.

That's basically what I was driving at, but I could be mistaken in my thinking.

[merricat]

merricat, what I meant by CNAs not being "professionals" is that they don't hold a college degree. As a nurse's aide, I don't know that I could call my job a "profession". I don't have credentials. (Once again, folks, I think my foot is headed straight for my mouth.)

i do i all the time... usually when i am trying to use humor to make a point, since i have a very dry sense of humor.. i think CNAs are not professonals in the sense that nobody in their right mind (including me) if they could afford college, would voluntarily put themselves through the amount of totally hard work, so that sort of makes it not a profession. a chosen one anyway. but i think it is generally conisdered a profession and not just a job. and you have credentials-- you earned a level of proficiency that is delineated by OBRA standards. i say that is not small stuff.

[merricat]

I presume you're referring to the fact that CNAs are certified, not licensed and therefore, not a profession.

actually, i believe CNAs are in fact licensed through the state.

[RN4NICU, LPN, LVN]

actually, i believe CNAs are in fact licensed through the state.

CNAs are certified through the state - they do NOT hold a license

[Q.]

Yup - ditto. They hold a certificate from a CNA curriculum governed by the state. In addition, since there is no "license," there is no governing body over the CNA certification (ie: BON, State Medical Board, etc).

[leslie :-D]

now i'm confused.

what does being professional have to do with one's profession?

i know of many people in professions that are most unprofessional.

and vice versa.

but how did we get these to overlap when one has nothing to do with the other?

leslie

[Q.]

now i'm confused.

what does being professional have to do with one's profession?

i know of many people in professions that are most unprofessional.

and vice versa.

but how did we get these to overlap when one has nothing to do with the other?

leslie

EXACTLY! But this is precisely what happened when I presented my CNA course to the nurse leadership here. They feel that by teaching CNAs professional behaviors, we are in fact identifying and labeling them as a profession and apparently we don't want to do that as only RNs are a profession.