Professionalism in nursing

Published

Has nursing achieved professional status?

Can we discuss about issues related in nursing professionalism ect:

1. evidence based practice

2.Graduate nurses

3.autonomy in practice

4.compentency based

5.nurses association

And issues based on criteria of nursing profession.

1.Intellectual

2.body of knowledge

3.practical and theoretical.

4.organization

5.standards of practice

Has nursing achieved professional status?

Can we discuss about issues related in nursing professionalism ect:

1. evidence based practice

2.Graduate nurses

3.autonomy in practice

4.compentency based

5.nurses association

And issues based on criteria of nursing profession.

1.Intellectual

2.body of knowledge

3.practical and theoretical.

4.organization

5.standards of practice

How about professionalism extended to the clinical instructor/student dynamic? I find that clinical instructors can be angelic to evil incarnate. Yet, professors and other staff prefer to take the ostrich approach and hope these whiny students graduate before making too big an issue of it; then repeat. There are no prerequisites other than RN to fill these jobs. As a soon to be nurse, how can I be a part of a culture that allows the abuse shown to students in the clinical setting? Most schools are purely subjective in their grading, so unless you have been taking notes on the side and recording abusive behavior, you are at their mercy. The clinical leaders are always on their side; it is like talking to a brick wall when you try to tell your side of the story.

This is the ugly side of nursing that is never spoken of in the academic setting for fear of retribution from the professors. I have realized that nurses are just as petty and egotistically charged as the next cardiologist, MBA, JD, Psych PhD, et al. Unfortunately, empirical grading (read: objective) is not part of nurse clinical teaching and are subject to the whims of whomever is there no matter how much of a bully they prove themselves to be.

I must say, this is not who I wish to become should I wish to advance my career. The abject lack of professionalism from some clinical instructors and two clinical leaders (so far) has sealed the deal for me; I have rejected MSN/DNP/PhD because I find too many of these people are too concerned with image of their respective schools and a profession as a whole. They will, at the student's expense, do whatever it takes to show the world how we are just as educated and critically thinking as our MD counterparts. They purposely eviscerate our GPAs to show the world how "tough" nursing school is and boy, don't you ever forget it.

Want to strategize how to keep nurses in the profession when they graduate? Treat them with the respect you would receive from them. Why would I stay in a culture that purposely demoralizes their troops?

Nursing on the whole needs to stop this juggernaut of promoting image at the expense of its future generations. It is hard to keep nurses when not even their own faculty respected their decision to pursue nursing, AEB the thousands of horror stories told about student clinical experience.

I agree with Helllllo Nurse--once we start getting and giving respect, we will be more on the road of professionalism. We can't even respect each other and nit pick our colleagues to the point of childishness. We let politics rule us when we should be thinking about our patients.

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