Essay on Nursing and Patient-centered Care

Submitted By chrisp2015
Words: 3443
Pages: 14

Leadership Cumulative Essay
Mathew Johnson College Phoenix
Leadership
Prof. Monstade
February 04, 2012
Leadership Cumulative Essay
Introduction
This essay will give insight into the author’s point of view on several facets of nursing today. The information provided will speak to lessons learned in the Everest College Nursing program. Topics covered shall consist of a reflection of the personal nursing philosophy, impact and concepts of the Nursing Code of Ethics and how it applies to Nursing as a profession, the concept of patient centered care, use of technology in documentation, and the leadership aspects that are considered as a new graduate. Leadership aspects entail team leading, delegation, and role transition from graduate to RN. This is the point of view of the author and information given here will be both objective and subjective.
Nursing Philosophy
In a previous paper written, the reflection of this student’s own nursing philosophy seemed to coincide with that of Florence Nightingale as well as Dorothy Orem. Orem’s school of thought leans toward the nurse having a large hand in aiding a patient to achieve total self-sustainability. Dorothy Orem’s theory is actually three separate theories that work synergistically. These theories are the theory of self-care, theory of self-care deficit, and the theory of Nursing systems. This works well for a patient, when achieved, due to the self-care aspect. Someone whom is actively involved in their own progress displays an inherent will to do well by oneself. This promotes compliance which can be a large barrier in healthcare. Education is an extremely important aspect in all of nursing but even more so in this philosophy. Florence Nightingale paid close attention to the surroundings of the patient. By doing this she became the first nurse epidemiologist by default. She was able to identify that certain standards of cleanliness led to a reduction in the pathogenesis of disease that was ravaging soldiers. This philosophy is and should be observed by all in the healthcare arena. It is generally easy to attain and keep in practice because it often does not involve special equipment or a deep knowledge base. Clean surroundings and disease prevention is the responsibility of everyone. This very likely could be the cornerstone of nursing care as without it all other efforts to promote health may be done in vain.
Nursing Code of Ethics
The earlier guidelines practiced was the Code of Nursing (1985) and was subsequently revised to the Nursing Code of Ethics in 1995. Currently there are nine provisions each having several sub categories that make up the Nursing Code of Ethics set forth by the American Nurses Association. This is somewhat of a dynamic umbrella of nursing practice. As society and healthcare are ever changing so is the Code of Ethics. The concept here is a standard of care for any patient regardless of stature, beliefs, culture, etc. as well as reinforcing the need for the highest level of professionalism. It could be thought that the degree of Nursing as a profession today and the respect of those in this profession were brought on by the Code of Ethics. This is not just a document of what a nurse can and can’t do nor is it a list of do’s and don’ts. The Code of Ethics is the essence of what a nurse is. It is a spirit, a guiding light to well-rounded and safe patient care and professionalism. The impact the Code of Ethics has had on the Nursing profession cannot be measured by statistics or surveys. It can be seen when a comparison is made between nurses generationally. Personal testimony reveals a growing tolerance in most all aspects of patient care in the newer generation of nurses that in turn influences previous practices. Nursing today is a far cry from its infancy possibly due to the fact that the Code of Ethics is a potent idea and one of the most powerful things known to man is an