Discuss one to two professional organizations/associations you plan to be involved in during your nursing career Conclusion (reflect on the criteria of the assignment; caring, professional identity, and professional organizations/associations) Use at least two credible resources to support your findings. For example, one of the resources could be the website for a professional organization or association, and another resource could be a textbook.

Professional Identity of the Nurse-Putting it All Together

The nursing roles remain to be the most critical elements of the health care system. Nurses provide the majority of basic care services. Nurses are involved in educating patients on their diseases and treatment plans. They ensure patients receive the most quality and safe care, support families, during times of sorrow, and are responsible for managing and maintaining community health (Freeman, 2021). In the delivery of these services, they must adhere to and be guided by nursing ethics, personal beliefs, evidence, and a personal belief in the nursing care they provide. It is through this that they can be able to develop a professional identity. This article discusses my belief in caring as a registered nurse (RN), my professional identity in nursing, and the professional nursing associations I would like to be involved with.

My Personal Belief in Caring in Nursing

My personal beliefs in caring as an RN a defined by how I understand myself, the roles of and scope of practice of an RN, the environment of providing health care services, and professionalism that has been shaped by the content of nursing education I have received. My belief in nursing is shaped by my empathetic nature and the fulfillment and satisfaction I get from helping others manage their life and health. The professional nursing environment is extremely demanding. As a nurse, I understand that I am responsible for meeting the needs of the patient and their family. This means managing their emotions as well as ensuring that I do not personally get emotionally and mentally overwhelmed. In fact, research has linked the development of negative emotions due to these organizational and works stressors to turnover intentions and poor professional commitment among novice nurse (ten Hoeve et al., 2020). As an RN, I hold the belief that not all days will be the same within my work environment. This has helped me to prioritize self-care. Self-care is among the ethical obligations nurses have toward the self as addressed by the American Nursing Association (ANA) (Linton & Koonmen, 2020). I believe that by taking care of myself, I will always be able to take care of my patients and the people in need.

Personal Professional Identity

The professional identity in nursing is a creation of reflecting on and internalizing professional values, engaging in continuous professional and personal development, and utilizing experiences from their practice settings to further nursing care and improve patient outcomes and grow professionally (Fitzgerald, 2020). Developing a professional identity as an RN requires a deeper understanding of who I am, how I perceive the importance of my role in health care and supporting others, as well as my adherence to the core ethics and values that guide nursing practices. I have always wanted to pursue nursing as a career.

My professional identity is shaped by the passion I have for nursing. I began shaping and developing my professional identity from earlier days in high school and throughout my nursing education. I have always focused on ensuring that I gain the best available knowledge in nursing, including how to make use of current available evidence to improve my future nursing practice. I have always sought to understand my responsibilities as an RN as defined by state’s scope of practice for registered nurses. I also ensure that my actions as RN are guided by the core ethics and norms of nursing as well as the ANA code of ethics. I have focused on developing my communication and collaboration skills to efficiently work in interprofessional teams as well as engage with my fellow nurses, patients, and their families. As per my commitment to the nursing profession, I plan to engage in a lifelong learning journey to further improve my opportunities to provide nursing care with a wider scope of practice and serve large communities.

Professional Nursing Organizations/Associations

I do not only want to remain an RN. My goal is to advance my nursing career by getting higher and more advanced degrees in nursing to become a nurse practitioner (NP). I also have goals to engage in nursing research to give and develop more knowledge to support nursing care and improve care quality and safety. As an NP, my first choice of a professional nursing association I would like to be a member of is The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). The AANP is focused on supporting NPs to improve their service delivery and provide the best care to their patients. The AANP also advocates for continuous quality improvement and for NPs to engage in practices that improve patient care, including supporting education advancement, research, and the engagement of NPs in health system leadership and policy making.