ALMIRA A.

PINEDA, RN, MSN I

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES AND CONCERNS

Many changes are occurring in healthcare, in areas ranging from

technology to the delivery of patient’s care. With that, professional nurses
continue to evolve. Nurses are not just at the bedside anymore, recording
vital signs and dispensing medicine; instead we are taking on positions of
greater responsibility.
As a nurse, you may face challenges that impact your ability to provide
safe, appropriate and ethical care to patient. In these situation, nurses use
professional judgment, ethical decision making and work with others to
promote care consistent with the standards of the profession.
No matter how big nurses’ roles are in the healthcare system, we
aren’t immune to problems.
A nurse’s obligations aren’t limited care. We must adhere to legal and
ethical standards in addition to maintaining professional relationships with
colleagues.
To give you an idea how demanding it is to be a nurse in today’s
society. Here are some of the professional issues and concerns that we are
facing:
Confidentiality, is the protection of personal information. Nurses are
legally obligated to respect their patient’s privacy. This means they can’t
discuss cases with anyone not directly involved in patient’s care, even fellow
nurses or other co-workers. Nurses and other health practitioners maybe
under a legal duty to breach patient’s confidentiality; to notify an
appropriate authority about an infectious disease. Example, patient with
HIV- to prevent the patient’s or other person from being harmed.
Accuracy, nurses’ data interpretations (diagnoses) should be a serious
concern of nurses in both practice and education because it serves as the
basis for selecting the intervention that achieve positive patient outcome.

Almira A. Pineda, RN
ALMIRA A. PINEDA, RN, MSN I

Even a minor error can jeopardize patient safety and subject nurses and
healthcare facilities to critical observation. When interpretations vary, some
of the interpretations represent low accuracy, this is serious because low
accuracy contributes to harm to patients through wasted time, energy,
implementing ineffective interventions, absence of positive outcomes,
patient and family dissatisfaction.
Safety, the safety of nurses from workplace- induced injuries and
illnesses is important to nurses themselves as well as the patient they serve.
Nurses must keenly watchful follow safety procedures to protect
themselves, their patients and other hospital staff. They must also assess
the safety and cleanliness of patient environments and monitor the
procedure used by the facility and fellow healthcare staff. Nurse vigilance at
the bedside is essential to their ability to ensure patient safety. It is logical,
therefore, that assigning increasing numbers of patients eventually
comprises nurse’s ability to provide care. Working in the hospital puts
nurses in a lot of work hazards. Example, being exposed to infected body
fluids. Apart from that lifting patients of all sizes can also put your safety at
risk. Nurses also have to deal with sharps and needles and running on
slippery floors during emergencies.
Workplace Relationship, providing opportunities for relationship-
building creates strong bonds that help nurses work as a team. Establishing
a positive, productive atmosphere on nursing units is an essential aspect of
creating a culture that emphasizes staff and patient satisfaction. Caring for
patients requires a team effort, so it’s crucial that nurses work well with
fellow nurses and with physicians and other healthcare specialists. If they
don’t, they may spend more time disagreeing than helping patients recover.
In a high-pressure environment such as medical facility. It’s inevitable that
tensions will sometimes run high and spark conflict. Repeated conflict can
permanently damage working relationships among staff, causing
communication breakdowns and hindering the department’s ability to
provide adequate patient care.

Almira A. Pineda, RN
ALMIRA A. PINEDA, RN, MSN I

Short Staffing, can bring not only professional issues but personal
concerns, too. When your hospital is short-staffed, you’re left with no other
option but to take on more shifts, cover for your co-nurses’ absences, and
miss important family occasions. Your social life can suffer, too. Short
staffing is one of the most common reasons why nurses experience burnout.
Nursing is already a stressful job and not having enough time to relax and
care for yourself can make you feel more frustrated and unsatisfied with
your job., you’ll be forced to leave your work and to take on another career
path.
Long Shifts, nurses are commonly required to work more extended
hours. It can be due to the hospital being short staffed or the management
cutting cost. Whichever the reason is, nurses, working longer than we are
supposed to detrimental. It can affect the quality of care they deliver, and it
can also put their health at risk. Working long hours can mean not having
enough time to rest properly. This can also mean that your body won’t be
able to recover fully.
Salary, the compensation nurses get vary depending on a lot of
factors. Aside from specialty, their place of work tends to affect the salary
they get, too. Having a higher degree counts as well.
Discrimination, nurses eating their young isn’t an entirely new thing.
In fact, this disgusting practice has been around for ages. When you are a
new nurse, there are so many things you have to adjust to. Apart from skills
you have to gain, you also have to learn how to cope with how to cope with
how the nursing system in your hospital works.

Almira A. Pineda, RN