Within the Discussion Board area, write 500 to 700 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.
Complete the following for this assignment:
- Select 2 qualities of professionalism, and discuss the master’s competency requirements from the American Nurses Association (ANA) scope of practice and the American Association of
- Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing.
- Why is it important to have these competencies, and how will they change your nursing practice?
- Provide specific examples of how your level of professionalism or nursing care will change.
- Include at least 1 reference to research sources.
Unit 3 DB Advanced Nurse Practice
The nursing profession stands out among other professions due to the unique behaviors that those who qualify to be professionals in the field possess and display. According to Rabie et al. (2021), the success of healthcare services largely depends on nursing professionalism which determines the application of standards to healthcare delivery to promote quality and safety. Registered nurses (RNs), graduate-level prepared registered nurses, and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) must possess competencies that will enable them to demonstrate professionalism in practice (DeNisco, 2015). The purpose of this discussion is to describe two qualities of professionalism including the requirements that a nurse must meet to be considered competent.
Qualities of Professionalism
Members of a particular profession display thoughts and actions that are aligned with the fields of practice in which they have been trained. Although there are numerous qualities of professionalism, the two that will be the focus of this discussion are educational preparedness and participation in research and scholarship. As Ageiz et al. (2021) explain, the journey toward becoming a professional begins when one develops an intention to join a given profession. This is usually followed by obtaining the right education to acquire the necessary skills and competencies. To become a professional nurse, for example, one must obtain the right education, training, licenses, and certifications required for the profession (DeNisco, 2015). Besides, participation in research and scholarship is a professional competency that allows members of a particular profession to gain a deep understanding of the issues that face their career. The process also leads to the generation of evidence to inform practice in a particular field. Nursing professionals constantly participate in research and scholarship to produce evidence to inform clinical practice (Riley et al., 2021). To be able to possess the right qualities of professionalism, one must first acquire the competencies that are aligned with those qualities.
Master’s Competency Requirements
The American Nurses Association (ANA) Scope of Practice and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials of Master’s Education in Nursing outline the competencies that nurses must have to meet professionalism qualities. The competency requirements for a nurse to attain the ‘educational preparedness’ quality of professionalism are related to ANA’s standard 12 (Education) and AACN’s Essential IX (Master’s-Level Nursing Practice). Nursing professionals are RNs and APRNs who have received the required training, education, and authorization/licensure to practice nursing. Standard 12 of ANA’s Scope of Practice requires registered nurses to complete relevant education and acquire the knowledge and competencies that they need to perform their current roles effectively and think about the future (ANA, 2015). AACN’s essential IX requires master’s-prepared nurses to engage in an advanced form of nursing practice that adequately reflects their training (AACN, 2011). It is by completing relevant education that nurses can be considered professionals (Standard 12: Education). Furthermore, completing a master’s degree in nursing is a sign of educational preparedness that enables a nurse to attain a higher level of professionalism (Essential IX: Master’s Level Nursing Practice) (ANA, 2015; AACN, 2011). The main evidences of educational preparedness in nursing are training, education, as well as licensure/authorization to practice nursing.
The competency requirements for a nurse to acquire the ‘participation in research and scholarship’ quality of professionalism are related to ANA’s standard 13 (Evidence-based Practice and Research) and AACN’s Essential IV (Translating and Integrating Scholarship into Practice). Nursing professionals have clearly defined methods and approaches that they use in their professional practice. Standard 13 of ANA’s Scope of Practice requires registered nurses to use evidence and research findings to inform practice (ANA, 2015). AACN’s Essential IV requires graduate nurses to demonstrate the ability to engage in research and apply research findings in clinical practice to solve problems and inform change initiatives (AACN, 2011). It is important to note that nurses display the capability to participate in research and scholarship by being able to obtain evidence to inform practice (Standard 13: Evidence-based Practice and Research). Moreover, in order to participate in research and scholarship, nurses must be able to gather evidence that they can apply to clinical practice to improve patient outcomes and inform change initiatives (Essential IV: Translating and Integrating Scholarship into Practice) (ANA, 2015; AACN, 2011). The methods and approaches that nursing professionals use in professional practice are guided by research findings.
The Importance of Having These Competencies and Examples
It is imperative that operating room nurses possess ANA and AACN competencies to be able to provide care that demonstrates a high level of professionalism, promotes patient safety, and increases healthcare quality. Additionally, acquiring these competencies will change how nurses deliver care and think about the future of the nursing profession (Ageiz et al., 2021). The level of professionalism shown by an operating room nurse will improve significantly when he or she acquires ANA and AACN competencies. For example, certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) usually participate in the development of guidelines to be followed when transporting surgical patients from one site to another. An operating room nurse will be allowed to practice as a CRNA by obtaining relevant training and certifications for the advanced practice role (Pannu & Walsh, 2022). Again, by increasing personal knowledge in evidence-based practice, an operating room nurse will be able to apply research evidence to clinical practice in order to maximize patient safety in the operating room (Wahr, 2021). Generally, having ANA and ACCN competencies will lead to an improvement in the nurse’s actions and thoughts.
Conclusion
The two qualities of professionalism that nurses should possess are educational preparedness and participation in research and scholarship. ANA describes nursing practice in terms of the “who,” “what,” “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how.” It also outlines 17 practice standards that define professionalism in nursing. Nurses require both ANA and AACN competencies to demonstrate various qualities of professionalism. Having these competencies helps nurses to attain a higher level of professionalism and improve the quality of nursing care to patients.
References
Ageiz, M. H., Elshrief, H. A., & Bakeer, H. M. (2021). Developing a professionalism manual for nurse managers to improve their perception regarding professionalism and professional identity. SAGE Open Nursing, 7, 23779608211026174. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608211026174
American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN). (2011). The essentials of master’s education in nursing. https://www.aacnnursing.org/portals/42/publications/mastersessentials11.pdf
American Nurses Association (ANA). (2015). Scope of nursing practice. https://www.nursingworld.org/~4af71a/globalassets/catalog/book-toc/nssp3e-sample-chapter.pdf
DeNisco, S. M. (2015). Advanced practice nursing (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning. https://coloradotech.vitalsource.com/books/9781284099133.
Pannu, A. & Walsh, D. (2022). Transport of surgical patients. UpToDate. Retrieved November 7, 2022 from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/transport-of-surgical-patients?search=advanced%20operating%20room%20nursing-2022&source=search_result&selectedTitle=10~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=10
Rabie T. (2021). Relation between Halls’ Professionalism Scale and nurses’ demographic characteristics. BMC Research Notes, 14(1), 258. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-021-05660-2
Riley, J. M., Beal, J. A., & Ponte, P. R. (2021). The exemplary practice life of the nurse. Journal of Professional Nursing: Official Journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 37(5), 1018–1025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2021.07.003
Wahr, J. A. (2021). Safety in the operating room. UpToDate. Retrieved November 7, 2022 from https://www.uptodate.com/contents/safety-in-the-operating-room?search=evidence-based%20practice%20in%20operating%20room%20nursing-2022&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~150&usage_type=default&display_rank=1