Is nursing a profession or an occupation? What can advanced practice nurses do to enhance nursing’s standing as a profession?

A profession refers to something that an individual is, while an occupation is something that one does. Hence, nursing is a profession since it features various occupations which are a result of the skill, self-sufficiency, duty, and obligation that has been made (Jubas & Knutson, 2012). Nursing is a profession which has become joined as a practice of thought. It represents a free helpful profession which offers certain benefits that further improve the strength of others. (Jubas & Knutson, 2012) The most crucial parts are nursing care, curing, and co-appointment.

Through the minding perspective, the nurse as a medical caretaker is required to understand what is necessary to enable a patient centred form of treatment. Therefore, through the need for being multi-skilled, it becomes apparent that nursing is more of a profession than an occupation. It incorporates actions taken to advance the wellbeing of individuals, disease aversion, and the consideration of the critically ill individuals (McEwen & Wills, 2014). Nurses are required to become involved in moral, legitimate, and even political issues which are related to medicinal services. Therefore, as advocates for the required medications, it is evident that nurses are required to venture into sectors which are indirectly affecting the healthcare industry.

Nursing is also considered to be a form of science since there are inventive methods which may positively impacting patient outcomes. Therefore, these factors need to be explored by nurses to ensure that any possible opportunities for better patient outcomes are not left untouched (Jubas & Knutson, 2012). By venturing into science, the nurses are able to enhance their professionalism.

The nursing profession is also linked to other attendants who are in the immediate environment of patients. To ensure the best patient care, nurses are required to understand these other professions, such as the cleaners. They are supposed to offer guidance on the best steps to take when caring and interacting with the patients. Thus, this further complicates the nursing obligations, which is why it is not considered a simple occupation, but rather a profession.

To enhance the nurse standing as a profession, it is important that individuals with a zeal for what the practice entails are recruited. The enrolled students need to be educated on the importance of nursing to the public, and the complex nature it features. This will prepare them for what will be expected once they graduate and have to work in the actual healthcare environment. During training, the nurses need to be encouraged to embrace the obligation of nonstop care that should be given to individuals who are weak and withered.

Hence, those who are in palliative care should be given the necessary attention up until their last day of life. By educating them on the need of being present in the lives of these patients, the nurses will become more aware of why they are perceived to be more than caregivers to the patients. Also, the nursing code of ethics must be constantly updated to feature some of the issues which arise in the changing environment.

References

Han, H. (2014). Analysing theoretical frameworks of moral education through Lakatos’s philosophy of science. Journal of Moral Education, 43(1), 32–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057240.2014.893422

Jackson, J. P., Clements, P. T., Averill, J. B., &Zimbro, K. (2009). Patterns of Knowing: Proposing A Theory for Nursing Leadership. Nursing Economic$, 27(3), 149–159. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com