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Nursing as a profession is to provide physical and emotional support for people in need. This is accomplished through knowledge of illness and necessary treatment, and through overall promotion of health and well-being.⁶

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I did not complete a philosophy paper in NUR301, but thinking back to my definition of nursing, I think I considered nursing to be based mainly in completing specific tasks in order to move someone from ill to well. I did not consider that not everyone who receives care is necessarily “ill.” I think I also focused much more heavily on the physical aspect of nursing and did not consider the importance of emotional wellbeing and support.

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Madeleine Leininger: Transcultural Care Theory

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Madeleine Leininger: Transcultural Care Theory

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Leininger’s theory states that nursing education should include the study of different cultures and health norms within these cultures. Studying these variations in cultures helps healthcare providers to provide culturally competent care. This theory also assesses how certain cultures or groups may be disadvantaged or at risk in the healthcare system, and identifies how nurses can help mitigate these disparities.⁵

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How does this theory support my definition of nursing?

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How does this theory support my definition of nursing?

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I chose this theory because nursing care should always be patient-centered and the culture of a patient is often very central to who they are. Acknowledging cultural differences is the first step in providing patient-centered care. As a white woman that cares for many Spanish-speaking patients, I acknowledge that there is often barriers between myself and my patients fully connecting. This is especially challenging when patients are in such a vulnerable state and are in need of emotional support and true human connection. I think that my role as a professional is to do as much as I can to meet them where they are at. I am attempting to learn Spanish as a way of providing culturally-competent, patient-centered care.

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I think it is important to be an active member of your community, especially locally. I knew I wanted a profession that provides tangible support to people in need and nursing is based in this principle of supporting others and giving back. Knowing that any time I go to work, I’m providing a beneficial and necessary service to my community is really valuable to me.

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It is important to me that I am always working towards a higher potential for myself, both personally and professionally. Nursing provided me with a profession that has infinite room for growth and improvement and allows me to constantly challenge myself to learn and do more.

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I value being a person who is genuine and forthcoming; I am clear on who I am and what I value, and I try to live in a way that reflects this confidence. I feel that nursing allows me to preserve myself and my values, and I can create genuine connections with my patients and my peers.

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Provision 4 of the ANA Code of Ethics is focused on accountability for nursing practice, including all care provided or delegated, and all judgment acted upon.² I think this quality contributes to an exceptional nurse because it shows commitment to the care provided. Accountability for your actions, both good and bad, is inherent to being a professional. The only way to identify issues in processes or grow from mistakes is by identifying them, and this identification is what will improve individual nurses and the profession as a whole

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Compassion is inherent to the nursing practice, as it is part of what drives our desire to care for others. The Nursing Social Policy statement includes compassionate care as one of the main expectations that society has of nursing, and we must uphold this expectation in order to maintain the trust established between society and the profession of nursing. ⁴ Maintaining compassion can be challenging when systemic factors begin to wear on the individual and the system as a whole, but the ability to consistently prioritize compassion is the mark of an exceptional nursee

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The concept of nurses being a part of an interprofessional team can be seen throughout the ANA Scope and Standards of Practice. Working as a part of a team to meet a shared goal is described as one of the “Tenets of Nursing Practice.”3 Providing care that is safe, quality, and patient-centered requires a large team of people that understand each other's scopes, strengths, and weaknesses. An exceptional nurse is one that knows their role in a team and uses this role to advocate for the safety of their peers and their patients. A strong unit runs on teamwork and this starts with the attitude and spirit of the nurses that make up the team.

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Essential VI: Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving  Patient Health Outcomes

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Essential VI: Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving  Patient Health Outcomes

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I think this essential is important to the nursing profession because communication is occurring constantly as a nurse, both amongst members of the care team and between the care team and the patient. Strong communication skills that focus on efficiency and conflict-resolution serve to improve the safety and quality of patient care.¹ I can see how my own communication has improved throughout my time as a nurse and I will continue to hone my skills to ensure I am communicating in a manner that is professional and respectful.

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Essential VIII: Professionalism and Professional Values

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Essential VIII: Professionalism and Professional Values

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This essential is important to nursing because nurses are licensed professionals and they have specific standards to uphold. This essential includes values that I believe are central to nursing: autonomy, integrity, and human dignity.¹ Understanding and prioritizing these values will lead to a nursing practice that is built on a strong ethical foundation.

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Essential IX: Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice

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Essential IX: Baccalaureate Generalist Nursing Practice

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I think that this essential is the ultimate essential to strive for as a nurse. It is the culmination of didactic knowledge, application of skills, and an inherent clinical judgment.¹ It requires integrating these skills to work as a member of a team striving for a common goal: providing consistent quality and safe care that is evidence-based and patient-centered.

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1. American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008). The essentials of baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. American Association of Colleges of Nursing.

2. American Nurses Association [ANA]. (2015a). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/

3. American Nurses Association [ANA]. (2015b). Nursing scope and standards of practice (3rd ed.).

4. Fowler, M. (2015, July). Guide to nursing’s social policy statement. American Nurses Association. https://www.nursingworld.org/~4af892/globalassets/catalog/sample-chapters/guide-to-nursings-social-policy-statement.pdf

5. Murphy S. C. (2006). Mapping the literature of transcultural nursing. Journal of the Medical Library Association : JMLA, 94(2 Suppl), E143–E151. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1463039/

6. Santy-Tomlinson, J., Hertz, K., & Kaminska, M.. (2018, April). Fragility fracture nursing: Holistic care and management of the orthogeriatric patient. Springer. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK543825/ doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-76681-2_12