Professional Values and Identity in Nursing

Professional Values and Identity in Nursing

Professional identity is defined as one’s professional self-concept based on attributes, beliefs, values, motives, and experiences (Pullen, 2021). Professional identity is an evolving concept that begins in nursing school and continues throughout one’s nursing career. In nursing school, I recall a group discussion where each student was asked why they want to become a nurse. I believe the purpose of this discussion was to begin the process of reflecting on the values and motives which would lay the foundation of a professional identity. I, like the majority of students, talked about my desire to help and care for people throughout their health journey. Many student nurses possess personal values in line with their future professional values.

Professional Values

Nursing values are important professional nursing principles, such as human dignity, integrity, altruism, and justice, which serve as a framework for standards, professional practice, and evaluation (Schmidt & McArthur, 2017). The nursing value that most resonates with me is human dignity. When I think about preserving human dignity, I think about respecting an individual’s autonomy during a time in their lives where they have diminished control over their lives.

What does promoting autonomy in nursing care look like?

An example of promoting patient’s autonomy is assessing their educational needs, answering their questions, and giving them time and space to ask questions about their diagnosis and potential care plans. By creating a supportive therapeutic relationship, the nurse creates an environment where the patient can make informed decisions about the course of their care. When I was a bedside nurse, I asked open-ended questions to assess a patient’s level of understanding and willingness to engage in conversation regarding their health status and care plan.

Professional Identity

Nurses develop their professional identity by embracing the concepts contained in their professional bodies code of ethics. The College of Nurses of Ontario (2019) interprets nursing values and suggests the following actions are pivotal in creating a professional identity; maintaining commitments (to clients, to oneself, to nursing colleagues, to the nursing profession, to team members/colleagues, to quality practice settings), as well as the concepts of truthfulness and fairness.

By maintaining these commitments and communicating truthfully and fairly nurses instill trust in their patients and the public. Nurses are consistently ranked as the most trusted medical professionals (Saad, 2020). By manner of their profession, nurses are likely to be trusted and their opinions may be held to a higher standard than non-professionals. In the current online climate, nurses must be cognizant of this trust and take care to act in a way that reinforces their commitment to their colleagues, profession, and team members/colleagues.

As a Registered Nurse, one should be aware of how they are perceived as that may be a reflection of their profession. By maintaining professional interactions when interacting with the public, a Registered Nurse promotes credibility and maintains the trust of the public. In my online/public life, I am cognizant of my presence and the impact that may have on perceptions of nurses.

Professional identity is an ever-evolving concept which is rooted in personal values, professional values and ethics. Members of professional organizations must reflect on these values in the context of how they wish to be perceived. In my nursing career I take time to reflect on my interactions with patients, colleagues, and the public with the College of Nurses Code of Ethics in mind.

References

College of Nurses of Ontario. (2019). Practice standard: ethics. Retrieved from https://www.cno.org/globalassets/docs/prac/41034_ethics.pdf

Saad, L. (2020). U.S. Ethics ratings rise for medical workers and teachers. Gallup Incorporated. Retrieved from https://news.gallup.com/poll/328136/ethics-ratings-rise-medical-workers-teachers.aspx

Pullen, R. (2021, March/April). Professional identity in nursing practice. Nursing made incredibly easy. 19(2), 55-56. Retrieved from https://journals.lww.com/nursingmadeincrediblyeasy/Fulltext/2021/03000/Professional_identity_in_nursing_practice.11.aspx

Schmidt, B., McArthur, E. (2017). Professional Values: A concept analysis. Nurse Forum. 1–7 Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/nuf.12211