Many young nurses enter the work force after graduating and have no idea what it is to be a professional. Professionalism starts as an attitude on the inside that is displayed on the outside. Professionalism is a commitment and a choice.
Registered nurse and professional nurse in the past have been interchangeable terms. When a person chooses to become a nurse, he should be aware that nursing is a profession with a lot of responsibility and not just a job. A few simple tips and a lot of common sense can help the new nurse to be accepted as a professional and be respected by peers.
When you enter a hospital or a clinic today you will see many people. You may not be able to differentiate the housekeepers from the nurses or therapists or lab technicians. The nurses have become lax in their appearance and behavior making it difficult to separate them from other staff.
Nurses have a huge responsibility to act professionally both on and off the job. Nurses are looked at in their community as a resource person and an example for others. They are viewed and judged by their peers in the work area.
The professional nurse assures that he stays well educated in the field he is working in. This is achieved through continuing education and self study or research.
The professional nurse must assure that he does not cross nurse- patient boundaries. The nurse must display empathy without becoming personally involved with patients. With empathy, the nurse is in a better state of mind to be most helpful to the patient.
The professional nurse must display good work ethics including showing up for work on time, not taking extended lunches or breaks, being a preceptor for new staff, and treating peers and administration with respect and courtesy.
The professional nurse needs to have an outward appearance that displays professionalism also. Hair should be pulled back off the shoulder. Uniforms should be clean, neat and pressed. Shoes should be clean and well kept. Fingernails should be short, filed and unpainted. Nametag should be worn in the facility.
Off the job, a nurse has to continue to demonstrate professionalism. The professional nurse must conduct himself or herself in a manner that encourages cleanliness and healthiness. The professional nurse must not act out in public in a volatile way.
These are just a few examples of basic ideas of what constitutes being a professional nurse. Many nurses today enter the workforce and do not display much professionalism at all. They do not assure that their appearance or attitude is professional. By not being professional, the nurse discredits their career, their self and their peers.
The field of nursing is more than a vocation. It is a profession and those in this field should display it as such. Respect is not automatically given; it is earned. If a professional nurse behaves in a way that they are able to respect themselves, then others will respect them.
