The professional identity I wish to culminate comes from the values I strongly uphold as a Registered Nurse (RN) such as: accountability, education and autonomy. As an RN, the College of Nurses of Ontario or CNO, has expected- non optional- standards and guidelines that all practicing nurses must adhere to in their practice (CNO Standards and Guidelines, 2019). These standards and guidelines are the foundation for which I have built my values. Accountability is applied to every nurse as we are individually responsible for our own practice with limited supervision. It is on the individual to provide safe, ethical nursing care to a vulnerable population regardless of location (acute care, community health, long term care, occupational health, public health, education). As is every individual in a profession: nurses are accountable for the information, education, care, medications and behaviours they exude. The value of education leads to autonomy in many cases for a nurse. Increasing a nurses' personal knowledge provides better patient outcomes and satisfaction and leads to a safer health provider (RNAO, 2019). With an increase in knowledge and education, the nurse can provide clients with greater autonomy to equip the individual with the awareness they need to make the best informed decisions for their health and consequently their health outcomes.
As a front line RN, charge nurse of a critical care unit and a nursing educator these values influence my work on a daily basis. Within the Canadian and the Ontario healthcare system, the RN is an integral part to client health promotion, communication, education and coordination of care. Individuals in many other professions rely on the knowledge of the nurse to make the informed decisions needed for client care. For example, in any given shift I am required to deem the necessity of a client's exposure to:
- Respiratory therapists for oxygen therapy and requirements
- Safe medication administration and medication requirements as delegated to the pharmacy team
- Coordination of care with physiotherapists, occupational therapists and dieticians
- Community resources and discharge planning with the client and family
- Various medical disciplines such as family physicians, surgeons and specialists and communicating their assessments to the attending physician for an outcome for the client
The list could continue, but for summary purposes it demonstrates the integral and central role a nurse occupies while coordinating and providing the best care to the client to better the client's health outcomes. Being accountable and seeking education continuously provides me with a strong professional backbone in which I can provide safe and ethical care under a variety of situations. This professional identity and health promotion increases the client autonomy which is what the healthcare system is intended to be: client centred care.
College of Nurses of Ontario. Standards and Guidelines (2019). Retrieved from: https://www.cno.org/en/learn-about-standards-guidelines/standards-and-guidelines/
Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. Best Practice Guidelines (2019). Retrieved from: https://rnao.ca/bpg
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