Patient care

At the heart and core of every philosophy of nursing is the well being and welfare and of the patient. The patient is just a human being like any other, has worth and dignity and thus he must be exposed to nursing care that manifests quality and that is delivered with competence (Corrin, 2009).  The needs of the patient must therefore be well serviced meaning the services granted must be equal or exceed the clients’ money value.

Sarvimaki (1999) asserts therefore that the practices of nurses must reflect compassion and show respect for every individual’s uniqueness also paying particular attention to the ethnic and cultural diversity of those clients and significant others. Edwards (2009) adds that the care provided must be effective, efficient and designed to achieve particular outcomes. He reinstates that care delivery ought to meet and fulfill the patients’ desired outcomes.

The relationships of the care providers with clients must furthermore be cultivated positively in order for the team to be genuinely committed to effectively responding to the patients needs. Additionally the services offered to patients and communities should be periodically enhanced and be based on proven research outcomes. Patients need to be effectively counseled, taught and their comfort and care modeled to meet international standards.  The nursing actions moreover ought to be influenced not only by relationships formed with the client but also those established with their significant other and their families. Sellman (2009) states that the participation of family members is particularly essential to achieving comprehensive patient care goals.

Knowledge acquisition, education and career development

Education, new knowledge acquisition and career development in this field is imperative since it will enable nurses’ to embrace their roles with excellence, think critically, communicate effectively and advance their practice in the changing global environment. Edwards (2009) affirms knowledge acquisition and education is a must to guarantee that in the changing community health care professionals will be able to effectively evaluate the health care impediments of their institutions and individuals and develop suitable innovative and collaborative strategies that will promote research based outcomes and effect the required change.

He adds that nurses must advance their skills in order for them to be able to make significant impact on health policy issues and nursing knowledge. Sarvimaki (1999) agrees life long learning can not be substituted for anything as it will facilitate nurses’ continuous creative inquiry and thinking for the benefit of the communities where they conduct their practice. Institutions can therefore strive to implement and blend traditional classroom approaches and experiential models in order to foster this learning and career development.

Ethics

The need for the practice of nursing is universal and thus communities can not avoid it. The responsibilities of nurses as perceived by the communities include alleviation of suffering, restoration of health, illness prevention and health promotion. Edwards (2009) states because the role of nurses and essence of their services to the community can not be avoided then they must behave ethically in all situations and conditions. Nurses are thus obligated to respect human rights, which include the patients’ right to choice and right to life.

The practice must additionally not be restricted by a patient’s nationality, disability, gender, illness, politics, sexual orientation, social status, color, age, creed, culture or race (Al-Omari & Pallikkathayil, 2008). The nurses need to also make sure that their patients are given adequate information on which they can base their consent for treatments and related care.

The nurse will practice confidentiality and only release information regarding the patient after rational judgment and decision-making processes. The nurse shall also be obligated to encourage the community to support all actions that will ensure enhancement of the social and health needs of not only that society but also that of the vulnerable populations. Nurses are in addition required to be accountable and responsible for the outcomes of their actions and strive to enhance their competence through continual learning. Al-Omari & Pallikkathayil (2008) add the personal conduct of the professionals in all situations must reflect professionalism for the intent of enhancing public confidence. Scientific advances and technology used ought to additionally take into consideration and be compatible with people’s rights, safety and dignity.  The quality of the services provided must also not be compromised at whatever time. Edwards (2009) adds that in the case of where a patient’s or the communities health is endangered by a co worker the nurse has the obligation of taking the appropriate action to ensure the health of these groups is safeguarded.