Indeed, nursing is a profession since
it meets all the criteria of a being a profession. Based on the Nursing’s
Social Policy Statement by the American Nurses’ Association, one of the
definitions of nursing is the application of knowledge, specifically scientific
knowledge, of the process of treatment. Moreover, it is defined as the
integration of the objective data with knowledge of the patient. Based on these
definitions nursing meets the criteria of being a profession because there
exist the application of knowledge of the process which is accorded only to
professionals of their own fields; in this case nursing. Also, one must be a
professional in order to integrate the available data he has with his patient.
Therefore, again there exists an expertise in order for the nurse to be able to
be effective based on these definitions.
Based on the knowledge base for
nursing practice it is stated that the nurse has their own phenomena of
concern, which are birth, health, illness and death. Considering all these
phenomena, the nurse again shows expertise of a professional. In the case of
diagnosis, the nurse is expected to facilitate communication among health care
providers and the patient and family. This again requires a certain
professionalism which the nurse must acquire. At the same time, the nurse is
trained to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention in terms of the
outcome. She is trained to make the proper in evaluation and in the whole plan
of care for the patient.
The scope of nursing practice
requires that the nurse is a graduate of approved school of nursing, has
qualified for the national exam, expert in the care for patients and families,
knowledgeable in interventions based on desired outcomes, an able caregiver, is
a good coordinator of care, expert in tests and procedures, knowledgeable and
expert in monitoring of responses to interventions, continuously acquires new
practice knowledge and skills and specializes in theoretical, research based
and practical knowledge as part of their continuing education. Based on these
requirements for nursing, nursing is the same as all the other professions
which requires that its practitioners be experts in their fields, adhere to
certain standards and must continue acquiring knowledge since these fields
continues to grow.
Lastly, nursing has the other
criteria of being a profession such as having its own code of ethics,
completion of examinations and supervised practice, legal accountability for
the practice of the profession (nursing), scope of practice and knowledge base
of practice.
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