Professional Identity of the Nurse. Health, Medicine, Nursing Essay

Professional Identity of the Nurse
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Professional Identity of the Nurse
The nursing profession is very demanding primarily because people’s lives are at stake. Nurses are mandated and obligated to ensure that they provide quality care to all their patients. To do so, they not only have to pursue various certifications to equip themselves with the necessary and requisite skill sets but also garner sufficient experience. Nurses spend a lot of time with patients and as such, are better placed to advise doctors on the best means of treatment that takes into account standard medical care and the preferences of their patients. Nonetheless, the roles of a nurse in a medical facility are broad and range from being a caregiver, communicator, patient advocate, counselor, leader, manager, and overall the planning of care. It is however important to note that there are different types of nurses including the Registered nurse (RN) and the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN). The distinctions in these two categories of nurses stem from their duties, levels of education, remunerations and typical career steps.
Roles of a Registered Nurse
I am currently enrolled for the Registered Nurse (RN) program because I am passionate about providing quality care to the sick. Through research, I have learned that a RN is tasked with various duties and roles. The first and most important role sees them as caregivers. A registered nurse is supposed to take charge of a patient’s full recovery which entails not only the medical aspects of their treatment but also their psychological and spiritual needs (Murray-Parahi, DiGiacomo, Jackson & Davidson, 2016). Similarly, RN’s are also supposed to educate their patients on the different forms of treatment at their disposal to allow them make informed choices. Secondly, RN’s also serve as communicators and the link between patients and their medical doctors. In this regard, they are supposed to create a rapport with their patients with focus on getting as much information as possible regarding their ailments and causes (Flood, 2009). It is essential to get all the key facts about a patient’s condition before treatment commences.
Thirdly, RN’s are also obligated to act as patient advocates. They are particularly tasked to champion for the best interests of patients who are incapacitated or have little knowledge about their medical conditions and the appropriate forms of treatment (Flood, 2009). As such, they have the right to advice on the types of meals patients to take, propose a change in rooms and even the kinds of treatment and medications that are being administered. Most importantly, as advocates, RN’s should take caution and only express what they deem to be the wishes of their patients. The fourth role of RN’s sees them act as counselors who expressly provide psychological and emotional support. As it was shared previously, RN’s spend a lot of time with their patients and are better placed to determine the appropriate forms of treatment. Similarly, they are in positions to help patients address social and stressful issues that are impeding their recovery (Baughman, Ludwick, Jarjoura & Kropp, 2017). Last bu...