Intro to Nursing: Professional Accountability

Accreditation;

*The action or process of officially recognizing someone as having​ a particular status or being​ qualified to perform a particular activity. *An acknowledgment of a person's responsibility for or achievement of something.

Nursing Theory;

A nursing theory conceptualizes an aspect of nursing to describe, explain, predict, or prescribe nursing care (Meleis, 2012).

Accountability;

Accountability means that you are responsible professionally and legally for the type and quality of nursing care provided. You just remain current and competent in nursing and scientific knowledge and technical skills.

Profession;

Nursing is not simply a collection of specific skills, and you are not simply a person trained to perform specific tasks. Nursing is a profession. No one factor absolutely differentiates a job from a profession, but the difference is important in terms of how you practice. to act professionally you administer quality patient-centered care in a safe, prudent, and knowledgeable manner. you are responsible and accountable to yourself, your patients, and your peers.

Nursing;

Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities; prevention of illness and injury; alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response; and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations (ANA, 2010b) Nursing encompasses autonomous and collaborative care of individuals of all ages, families, groups, and communities, sick or well, and in all settings. Nursing includes the promotion of health; prevention of illness; and the care of ill, disabled, and dying people. Advocacy, promotion of a safe environment, research participation in shaping health policy and in patient and health systems management, and education are also key nursing roles. (ICN, 2014)

Nurse Practice Act;

Statutes enacted by the legislature of any of the states or the appropriate officers of the districts or possessions that describe and define the scope of nursing practice.

Standards of Nursing Practice;

The Standards of Practice describe a competent level of nursing care. The levels of care are demonstrated by a critical thinking model known as the nursing process: assessment, diagnosis, identification and planning, implementation, and evaluation (ANA, 2010b). The nursing process is the foundation of clinical decision making and includes all significant actions taken by nurses in providing care to patients.

Nursing Roles;

You are responsible for obtaining and maintaining specific knowledge and skills for a variety of professional roles and responsibilities. Nurses provide care and comfort for patients in all health care settings. Nurses' concern for meeting their patient's needs remains the same whether care focuses on health promotion and illness prevention., disease and symptom management, family support, or end-of-life care. Roles; *Caregiver; as a caregiver you help patients maintain and regain health, manage disease and symptoms, and attain a maximal level of function and independence through the healing process. As a caregiver you help patients and families set realistic goals and meet them. *Advocate; As a patient advocate you protect your patient's human and legal rights and provide assistance in asserting these rights if the need arises. As an advocate you act on behalf of your patient and secure your patient's health care rights (Emrich et al., 2013). For example, you provide additional information to help a patient decide whether or not to accept a treatment, or you find an interpreter to help family members communicate their concerns, You sometimes need to defend patient's rights to make health care decisions in a general way by speaking out against policies or actions that put patients' in danger or conflict with heir rights (Wilson et al., 2013). *Educator; As an educator you explains concepts and facts about health, describe the reason for routine care activities, demonstrate procedures such as self-care activities reinforce learning or patient behavior, and evaluate the patient's progress in learning. For example, during a casual conversation you respond to questions about the reason for intravenous infusion, a health issue such as smoking cessation, or necessary lifestyle changes. * Communicator; Your effectiveness as a communicator is central to the nurse0patient relationship. It allows you to know your patients including their strengths, weaknesses and needs, communication is essential for all nursing roles and activities. You will routinely communicate with patients and families, other nurses and health care professionals, resource people and the community. Without clear communication it is impossible to advocate for your patients or to give comfort and emotional support give care effectively, make decisions with patients and family, protect patients from threats to well-being, coordinate and manage patient care, assist patients in rehabilitation, or provide patient education (Emrich et al., 2013). *Manager; Today's health care environment is fast paced and complex. Nurse managers need to establish an environment for collaborative patient-centered care to provide safe, quality care with positive patient outcomes. A manager coordinates the activities of members of the nursing staff in delivering nursing care and has personnel, policy and budgetary responsibility for a specific nursing unit or agency. A manager uses appropriate leadership styles to create a nursing environment for patients and staff that reflects the mission and values of the health care organization. (see Ch 21)

Evidence based Practice;

Your practice needs to be based on current evidence, not just according to your education and experiences and the policies and procedures of health care facilities. Health care organizations can show their commitment to each health stakeholder (e.g., patients, insurance companies, and governmental agencies) to reduce health care errors and improve patient safety by implementing evidence-based practices (National Quality Forum, 2010). EX; the registered nurse integrates evidence and research into practice.

Code of Ethics

the philosophical ideals if right and wrong that define the principles you will use to provide care to your patients. It is important for you to also incorporate your own values and ethics into your practice.