Professional Identity of the Nurse
Nurses are critical elements of any functional healthcare system. The American Nurses Association (ANA) (n.d.) describes nursing as a process dedicated to caring for, identifying, and protecting the population’s and individuals’ needs. As a registered nurse (RN), I understand I am responsible for utilizing that data to make critical health decisions. I also have to be a health educator and a promoter while collaborating with other healthcare professionals to develop community-wide and individualized interventions to achieve the best health outcomes. In this article, I will present and discuss my belief in caring in nursing, my identity, and the professional organizations and associations I plan to be involved in during my nursing career.
My Belief in Caring in Nursing
My belief in caring in nursing has been shaped by my understanding of Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. Watson’s theory is built on the concepts of the individual, health, the environment and society, and nursing as a profession (Rani, 2019). These concepts are interrelated and help us understand how the self, nursing, the environment, and professionalism influence the nursing process and caring in nursing.
Nursing as a science of caring first requires an understanding of the self. According to Sitzman and Watson (2018), caring for others starts with caring for the self. This is emphasized by the view that the benefits of caring are mutual between the caregiver and the recipient of care. As a nurse, I must first attain a certain level of self-healing to deliver healing care to others.
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Question 
I believe that the effectiveness of nursing care is defined by the environment in which the care is delivered. The environment includes the nurse’s attitudes toward patient care and the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual environments. Most people entering nursing are doing it as a career rather than what nursing encompasses. They lack the attitudes, compassion, and other traits that define nursing. Without suitable characteristics in nursing, it will be difficult for nurses to provide care that promotes whole-person wellness and engages in the prevention of diseases and suffering.
My Professional Identity
According to (Pullen, 2021), the professional identity in nursing develops as a result of how the individual perceives themselves and how they relate with others based on the norms and values of the nursing profession. To achieve this professional identity, a nurse must be willing to embrace the Code of Ethics as defined by the American Nurses Association (ANA). The ANA Code of Ethics guides the best practices to ensure nurses carry out their responsibilities consistent with their professional and ethical obligations towards safe and quality care. These values of professionalism and activism in nursing are important to learn during nurse training in preparation for the complex context of nursing within the healthcare system (Poorchangizi et al., 2019).
As an RN, I feel that my professional identity has been well-defined throughout the nursing training process and my practicum experiences. I have understood the importance of embracing the core values of nursing to improve collaboration with other nurses, healthcare professionals, and patients and understanding and appreciating differences in opinion, culture, and race in my professional practice. I am responsible for championing public health initiatives and driving change throughout the nursing profession and the community for better health outcomes and maintaining health. I also strongly urge continuous learning and developing my nursing skills to serve the community better.
Professional Organizations/Associations I plan to be involved in during My Nursing Career
I want to advance my RN through a Master’s in Nursing (MSN) program and become a Nurse Practitioner (NP). Being an NP provides a broader practice scope and opportunities to engage in the collaborative and independent diagnosis of diseases, development of care interventions, health promotion, and preventive and health education services in nursing and health care leadership. Throughout my career as an RN and later an NP, I would like to be a member of the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL), and The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). These associations and organizations add value to my professional identity and can provide the needed support and mentorship to improve nursing practice and provide leadership in the healthcare system.
Conclusion
Nurses must ensure they gain the best education and knowledge to diagnose public health and social issues and provide the best solutions to safeguard public health. An individual develops a professional identity by understanding and appreciating these duties and responsibilities as a nurse. This identity as a nurse shapes an individual’s beliefs, values, motives as a nurse, and how they experience nursing practice. Professional identity also influences identification and association with peers. Therefore, the professional identity in nursing determines how the individual thinks, behaves, relates with others, and acts as a nurse.
References
American Nurses Association (ANA). (n.d.). What is Nursing? Retrieved September 7, 2022, from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing
Poorchangizi, B., Borhani, F., Abbaszadeh, A., Mirzaee, M., & Farokhzadian, J. (2019). Professional Values of Nurses and Nursing Students: A comparative study. BMC Medical Education, 19(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1186/S12909-019-1878-2/TABLES/3
Pullen, R. L. (2021). Professional identity in nursing practice. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!, 19(2), 55–56. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NME.0000732012.99855.78
Rani, U. (2019). Watson Human Caring Theory. Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics, 5(1).
Sitzman, K., & Watson, J. (2018). Caring Science, Mindful Practice. Caring Science, Mindful Practice. https://doi.org/10.1891/9780826135568
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