Professionalism: Professional Practice and Healthcare Ethics

This chapter explores the significance of professionalism and the elements associated with professional nursing. Nursing had consistently been regarded as a trusted profession. This level of trust attests to the professionalism that nurses had consistently shown as they significantly held roles in the care of individuals, families and communities.

I. Introduction to Professionalism

Professionalism is the conduct, qualities, values, vision, mission and/or goals that characterize a profession, and describes behaviors that are expected within the profession’s members (Bimray & Just, 2019).² Registered Nurses (RNs) are individuals who are licensed to practice professional nursing.

The American Nurses Association defines professional practice as the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations. ( ANA, 2023).¹

Competencies for Professional Nursing Practice

The ANA (2014)¹ published a Position Statement on Professional Role Competence for all registered nurses. The following summarizes the main points of the Position Statement, outlining the expectations of society, nurses, the profession, and employers:

• The public has a right to expect all nurses demonstrate competence in their role throughout their career
• Nurses are responsible and accountable for maintaining role competence
• The nursing profession and regulatory agencies verify the processes for measuring competence is appropriate, and they meet the minimum standards to protect the general public
• Employers are responsible and accountable for providing a safe working environment conducive to competent practice

To view the Position Statement on Professional Role Competence, visit the ANA website

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Nursing (2016)³ created the Nurse of the Future competencies for professional nursing practice:

• Patient-Centered Care: Provision of “holistic care that recognizes an individual’s preferences, values, and needs and respects the patient or designee as a full partner in providing compassionate, coordinated, age and culturally appropriate, safe and effective care” (p. 10)

• Professionalism :“Accountability for the delivery of standard-based nursing care that is consistent with moral, altruistic, legal, ethical, regulatory, and humanistic principles” (p. 14)

• Leadership: “Influence the behavior of individuals or groups of individuals within their environment in a way that will facilitate the establishment and acquisition/achievement of shared goals” (p. 18)

• Informatics and Technology: “Use advanced technology and to analyze as well as synthesize information and collaborate in order to make critical decisions that optimize patient outcomes” (p. 26)

• Evidenced-Based Practice: “Identify, evaluate, and use the best current evidence coupled with clinical expertise and consideration of patients’ preferences, experience and values to make practice decisions” (p. 47)
• Systems-Based Practice: “Awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context of the health care system, and will demonstrate the ability to effectively call on work unit resources to provide care that is of optimal quality and value” (p. 20)

• Safety: “Minimize risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance” (p. 42)

• Communication: “interact effectively with patients, families, and colleagues, fostering mutual respect and shared decision making, to enhance patient satisfaction and health outcomes” (p. 32)
• Teamwork and Collaboration: “Function effectively within nursing and interdisciplinary teams, fostering open communication, mutual respect, shared decision making, team learning, and development” (p. 37)
• Quality Improvement: “Use data to monitor the outcomes of care processes, and uses improvement methods to design and test changes to continuously improve the quality and safety of health care systems” (p. 45)

II. Current Scope of Professional Practice

This video shows the resilience of nurses in their chosen profession. What feelings are evoked after watching this video? Briefly share your feelings with the class.

A. Roles of the Professional Nurse

According to ANA^© “Nurses’ roles range from direct patient care and case management to establishing nursing practice standards, developing quality assurance procedures, and directing complex nursing care systems”. There are also many opportunities to specialize. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing/

View the link to review the various roles that you can choose from. https://nursing.jnj.com/specialty

The protection of the public is extremely important.  In order to ensure the protection of patients, families and communities and maintain standards of practice. Open the link below to learn about the importance of licensure and other related information. Licensure

C. Professional Code of Conduct

Review each of the following link for more information.

• Maryland Board of Nursing Scope of Practice: https://mbon.maryland.gov/Pages/faq-practice-rn-scope-of-practice.aspx
• American Nurses Association Scope of Practice: https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/scope-of-practice/
• Nurses Bill of Rights:  https://www.nursingworld.org/~498d25/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/work-environment/health–safety/nurses-bill-of-rights.pdf
• Patient’s Bill of Rights: https://wtcs.pressbooks.pub/nursingfundamentals/chapter/3-3-patients-bill-of-rights/
• Professional communication; how to construct an email: https://pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca/communicationnursing/chapter/professional-communication/

D. Highlights on Healthcare Ethics:

Ethical Principles: Click the link below

https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Nursing/Nursing_Management_and_Professional_Concepts_(OpenRN)/06%3A_Ethical_Practice/6.02%3A_Basic_Ethical_Concepts?readerView

III. Professionalism in Nursing Exercises: 

IV.  Assignment: Reflecting on professionalism

V. Recommended Resources

Professional Organizations

The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education: https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/0/PDFs/Publications/Essentials-2021.pdf

Professional Nursing Practice: https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-delhi-professionalnursing/chapter/professional-nursing-practice/

Key competencies for nursing:https://www.myamericannurse.com/key-competencies-nursing/

Massachusetts Nurse of the Future Nursing Core Competencies© REGISTERED NURSE”:https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/bitstream/handle/2452/685772/ocn987380713.pdf?sequence=1

QSEN Competencies​: https://www.qsen.org/competencies/pre-licensure-ksas

Fukada M. (2018). Nursing Competency: Definition, Structure and Development. Yonago acta medica, 61(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.33160/yam.2018.03.001 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5871720/

Code of ethics:https://montgomerycollege.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=16705&xtid=286916

RN job openings: https://www.indeed.com/q-Registered-Nurse-l-Maryland-jobs.html?vjk=0cc1b047f4c4895f&advn=6135375356984306

Nursing Specialties: https://nursing.jnj.com/specialty

Importance of educational preparation for nursing practice.https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-delhi-professionalnursing/chapter/baccalaureate-education/

View the Code of Ethics for Nurses:  https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/

References and Attributes:

American Nurses Association-Professional Role Competence: https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing/

Bimray P, Jooste K, Julie H (2009). Professionalism experiences of undergraduate learner nurses during their 4-year training program at a Higher Education Institution in the Western Cape, South Africa. Curationis. 2019 Oct 28;42(1):e1-e8. doi: 10.4102/curationis.v42i1.2030. PMID: 31714133; PMCID: PMC6852339.

Massachusetts Department of Higher Education Nursing. (2016, March). Massachusetts nurse of the future nursing core competencies: Registered nurse. http://www.mass.edu/nahi/documents/NOFRNCompetencies_updated_March2016.pdf

Jamie, M. (2020). Transitions to Professional Nursing Practice. Open SUNY.