NURSING FOUNDATION

Unit I (Syllabus)
Development of nursing as a profession
Objectives and responsibilities of a graduate nurse
Trends influencing nursing practice
Expanded role of nurse
Development of nursing education in India and trends in nursing
education
Professional organizations
Career planning
Code of ethics and professional conduct for nurses

NURSING AS A
PROFESSION

TERMINOLOGIES
Position - a group of task assigned to one individual
Job : a group of positions that are similar in nature and level of skill that
can be carried out by one or more individuals
Occupation: a group of job that are similar in type of work and that are
usually found throughout an industry or work environment.
Profession: a type of occupation that meets certain criteria that raise it to a
level above that of an occupation
Professional: a person who belongs to and practices a profession.
Professionalism: demonstration of high level of personal, ethical and high
level of skill characteristics of a member of a profession.

Profession
Professions are those occupations possessing a particular
combination of characteristics generally considered to be the
expertise, autonomy, commitment, and responsibility.
A profession is an occupation based on specialized
intellectual study and training, the purpose of which is to
supply skilled services with ethical components and others.

Profession characteristics
Is basically intellectual
Is based on a body of knowledge that can be learned.
Is practical rather than theoretical.
Can be taught through a process of professional education.
Has a strong internal organization of members.
Has practitioners who are motivated by altruism (desire to help others)

Development of nursing as a profession history

Genevieve and Roy Bixler, a husband and wife team of non-Nurses
who were nevertheless advocates and supporters of nursing, first wrote
about the status of nursing as a profession in 1945.
They appraised nursing according to their original seven criteria,
noting the progress made in nursing, as a profession.

 Abraham Flexner (1910), conducted study of medical education and

went on to study other disciplines and latter, in a paper about social
work published a list of criteria that he felt were characteristics of all
true professions.
Flexner believed in professional work.

Criteria of profession - Abraham Flexner

(1916)
Intellectual (opposite of physical).
Based on body of knowledge, that can be learned.
Practical rather than theoretical.
Can be taught through a process of professional education.
Has a strong internal organization of members.

Kelly: - 1981
Service provided is vital to humanity and welfare of society.
Special body of knowledge: continually.
Intellectual activity: accountability.
Educated in institutions.
Relatively independent: autonomy.
Motivated by job / service.
Code of ethics: to guide decisions.
Organization (association): to encourage and support practice.

Nursing is gaining recognition as a profession based on the criteria that a profession

must have: A well defined body of knowledge.
A strong service orientation.
Recognized authority by a professional group.
A code of ethics: ICN.
A professional organization that sets standards.
On going research.
Autonomy.
Hence, nursing is a Nobel profession, Recognized internationally.

ANA Standards of Professional Performance

Quality of practice
Professional Practice Evaluation
Education
Collegiality
Ethics
Collaboration
Research
Resource Utilization
Leadership

CRITERIA OF THE PROFESSION

1. HIGH INTELLECTUAL LEVEL OF FUNCTIONING:
Modern nurses use assessment skill and knowledge, have the ability to
reason and make routine judgment depending on patients condition.
Professional nurses functions at a high intellectual level .

2. HIGH LEVEL OF INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY AND

ACCOUNTABILITY
Nurses must be accountable and demonstrate a high level of
individual responsibility for the care and services they
provide.
The concept of accountability has legal, ethical and
professional implications that include accepting
responsibility for action taken to provide client care as well
as accepting responsibility for the consequences of action

3. SPECIALIZED BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

Nursing has developed into an identifiable separate discipline a
specialized body of knowledge called as nursing science was compiled
through the research effort of nurses with advanced educational
degrees.
Although this body of specialized knowledge is relatively small, it
forms a theoretical basis for the practice of nursing today.
As more nurses obtain advanced degrees, conduct research and
develop philosophies, and theories about nursing, this body of
knowledge will increase in scope

4. EVIDENCED BASED PRACTICE

Evidenced based practice is the practice of Nursing in which
interventions are based on data obtained from research that
demonstrate that, the findings are appropriate and successful.
It involves a systematic process of uncovering, evaluating and using
information from research as the basis for making decisions about and
providing client care.

5. PUBLIC SERVICE AND ALTRUISTIC ACTIVITIES

Nursing has been viewed universally as being an altruistic
profession composed of selfless individuals who place the
lives and well being of their clients above their personal
safety.
Dedicated nurses provide care for victims of deadly diseases
with little regard for their own welfare.

6. WELL ORGANISED AND STRONG REPRESENTATION

Professional organizations represent the members of the profession
and control the quality of professional practice
National League of Nursing and the American Nurses Associations are
two organizations that represent nursing in todays health care system.
Many nurses belong to specialty organizations that represent a specific
area of practice.
This lacks sufficient political power to produce changes in health care
laws and policies at the national level.

7. CODE OF ETHICS
Nurses have several codes of ethics that are used to guide nursing
practice.
Code of ethics is recognized by other profession as a standard with
which others are compared.

8. COMPETENCIES AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSE

Nurses must pass a national licensure examination to demonstrate that
they are qualified to practice nursing
Only after passing the examination the nurses are allowed to practice.
The granting of a nursing license is a legal activity conducted by the
individual state under the regulations contained in the states nursing
practice act.

9. AUTONOMY AND INDEPENDENCE OF PRACTICE

In reality nursing is both an independent and inter-dependant discipline.
Nurses in all health care setting must work with physicians, hospital
administrators, pharmacists and other groups in the provision of care.
In some cases nurses in advanced practice role eg. Nurse practitioners can do
establish their independent practices.
Nurse practice act allow nurses to practice more independence in their
practice than they realize.
To be considered a true profession, nursing will need to be recognised by
other disciplines as having practitioners who practice nursing independently.

10. PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND DEVELOPMENT

Until nurses are fully committed to the profession of nursing, identify
with it as a profession and are dedicated to its future development,
nursing will probably not achieve professional status.

BARRIERS TO PROFESSIONALISM
Variability in educational preparation
Gender issues
Historical influences
External conflicts
Internal conflicts