Nursing: The Importance Of Professionalism In Nursing

According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), the nursing profession is known as the most trusted profession in America. Nurses are in the forefront of improving the lives of many individuals. Nurses have this privilege by embodying the five core values of professional nursing, which includes: human dignity, integrity, autonomy, altruism, and social justice (Fahrenwald et al., 2005). Integrating these values into the nursing profession is how nurses provide patients with the quality care that they deserve, while being a competent and accountable member of the healthcare team. In this paper, I will be discussing the importance of professionalism in nursing, the risks of poor communication in the health care field, the significance of healthy work environments, and will be describing the strategies needed to mitigate horizontal violence when engaging in crucial conversations. Professionalism plays a crucial part in a nurses’ career. As nurses, we are expected to
We run into issues and dilemmas that necessarily do not need to happen, such as: horizontal violence, workplace violence, and even bullying. By definition, horizontal violence is a behavior that is directed by one peer towards another that causes harm, disrespect, and devalues the worth of the recipient (Purpora & Blegen, 2012). Although nursing is a profession that provides care and compassion, this type of behavior exists in many forms. Horizontal violence can affect teamwork, communication, and most importantly, patient safety. These issues can be mitigated by understanding how to approach and engage in “crucial conversations.” The first step to understanding how to overcome crucial conversations is to know that everyone’s opinions vary (Patterson et al., 2012). Secondly, we need to understand that stakes are high. Thirdly, our emotions can run strong and take over conversations without us even realizing it (Patterson et al.,