With the fast pace of healthcare and society, and the rapid growth of technology, professionalism and leadership skills are becoming a dying are in the nursing profession. We need to bring both of these skill sets back to the forefront of our nursing education so that our upcoming nurse graduates could have the neccessary skills to become leaders and professionals in the nursing community.
With the rise in technology, many of our younger generation of nurses do not know how to communicate professionally, as they are used to texting, and thereby using abbreviated words, being unaware of the tone of voice nor understanding the impact of what and how words are said to the listener. As a nurse educator, I have become appalled at the lack of professionalism and leadership skills that are exhibited, or not exhibited as I probably should say, among our colleagues.When one can say a person acts “professionally”, for example, we imply that the person is conscientious in actions, knowledgeable in the subject, and responsible to self and others, including civility. (AACN, 2008 ). In addition a postive image is essential to be a nurse as we spend time with patients, familiesm managers, public officials and even administrators within the community (Larson, 2006). As a nurse educator, how can I convey to students the importance of not wearing fake nails, dangling earings, thick necklaces, colorful but inappropriate shoes and color in the hair? How do I as an older professional, keep reminding the next generation the importance of acting, and looking professional and becoming a leader for their generation of upcoming nurses? Professionalism and leadership is a course that truly needs to be offered to all nurses of every discipline.
In the upcoming weeks we will be discussing leadership and professionalism and how we can teach the next upcoming generation of nurses these much needed skills. Please take the time to reflect and share your thoughts on what leadership means to you and also how you view professionalism, in a nurse, a nursing student or even a healthcare provider. How does both of these skills affect the care of the patient?
American Association of Colleges of Nursing, (2010). The essentials of a baccalaureate education for professional nursing practice. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/BaccEssentials08.pdf
Larson, S. E. (2006). Create a good impression; Professionalism in nursing. Retreived from http://www.nsna.org/Portals/0/Skins/NSNA/pdf/Imprint_NovDec06_Feat_Larson.pdf
I agree that this is a problem and feel that the best say to tackle it is to work with those nurses that truly lack professionalism. Performance evaluations are a good place to start. Most evaluations have a professionalism section. By putting their inappropriate actions, words and attire into writing may help to bring them closer to realizing that it is not going to be acceptable and as our CEO said on his first communication to us "I think you will find a position that will be a better fit for you somewhere else; it is not here."
ReplyDeleteModeling professionalism is also another way to allow students to see what a nurse should look like and act like. Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone and point out the areas that need improvement.
ReplyDeleteGreat points made. Professionalism is something that we can model for our students and fellow co-workers. Too often we ourselves have become lax in our own behavior that we do not even realize our behavior may not be as professional as we would like it to be. One way to demonstrate professionalism is to step up and become a leader. Leadership requires self knowledge, and that knowledge enacts the leaders to behave in a way that allows trust and respect to develop (CNO, 2010). As instructors we are and will be the professionals our students will judge themselves and others. We need to find the courage to step up to the plate as well.
ReplyDeleteRefernce:
College of Nurses of Ontario. (2010). Professional standards: Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.cno.org/en/learn-about-standards-guidelines/educational-tools/learning-modules/professional-standards/leadership/