Nursing is as old as the need is for those who will dedicate their time to taking care of the infirm and dying. As a calling, the roots of nursing go far back into antiquity. Florence Nightingale was the proverbial nurse extraordinaire, who despite the many obstacles facing 19th century, independent, free thinking women like her, managed to transform a calling into a career. It is to her and to other unsung women-healers that nurses of today are beholden to for a career choice that has become one of the most trusted and respected in the world.
Nursing Practice
Nursing practice is based on forged experiential knowledge that has been refined through ones practice geared towards the provision of human service. It is also based on dynamic theoretical foundations that are constantly being evaluated to further understand human nature and the environment of care. The emotional intelligence and critical thinking of a nurse is crucial in nursing process and the best practice of care. Elements of human caring, compassion, devotion and commitment is crucial to the profession and is reciprocated by client satisfaction in what is often perceived as top quality care.
Today, the profession has evolved to embrace evidence–based practice in different nursing specialties. The race for Magnet designation for nursing excellence has began. This recognition uplifts the nursing profession to the degree that it has never been done before. The Magnet status brings prestige to nursing service in a healthcare facility, thus molding the client–driven caring culture trend. This is an important element in maintaining an appropriate environment of care, thus contributing to the financial integrity of the health care facility.
New technologies arise from nurses learning to adapt and improve nursing practice. Using their expertise, nurses also look for opportunities to improve efficiency in nursing practice. The more efficient the nurse, the more satisfied the client. Besides, the nurse has learned to overcome some of the overwhelming activities that oftentimes lead to burn out. This progress in nursing profession will ultimately lead to a nurse-friendly environment, thus improving nursing staff satisfaction and nursing staff retention as well.
Nursing Issues
In spite of so many initiatives to increase the workforce in the field, there are other things going on in nursing. The most talked about is the nursing shortage. The newspaper is always full of job opportunity listings at all levels of nursing practice and specialties. Why is it so? As baby boomers age and not enough of the new generation are interested in human service, what will become of the profession? The most recent press release from American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN )shows that there are so many students that have been turned down by nursing schools not because they are not qualified but because of lack of nursing educators and practice sites. This is heart breaking!
What will become of the future of nursing, if the nursing shortage continues to progress for the next ten years? Now is the time to develop more talent and motivate new nurses to venture and take risk on new opportunities and develop new skills not only in bedside-nursing but also in reshaping the future of nursing, but how?
