Nursing as a Profession: definition, criteria, characteristics, philosophy, and scope.

1. NURSING AS A PROFESSION
Presenter:
MR.VIJAYARADDI
Faculty
Department of Nursing
KOMAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

2. CONTENT
• Introduction
• Definition of Nursing
• Characteristics of nursing
• Personal qualities of a nurse
• Concept of nursing
• Definition of profession
• Characteristics of profession
• Philosophy of nursing
• Scope of nursing practice
• Code of ethics for nurses
• References

3. INTRODUCTION:
Nursing profession is one of the fastest developing
professions among all the medical professions, but there is still
required to focus continuously on evidence based nursing
practice, so need to bridge the gap between theory and practice
and also to motivate clinical nurses to involve in various kind
of research activities.

4. DEFINITIONS OF NURSING
by Different authors:
• Florence Nightingale “The act of utilizing the environment of the patient
to assist him in his recovery" (Nightingale, 1860). Nightingale considered a
clean, well-ventilated, and quite environment essential for recovery.
• Verginia Henderson "The unique function of the nurse is to assist the
individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to
health or its recovery (or to peaceful death)".
• Canadian Nurses Association (CNA) Described nursing practice as a
dynamic, caring, helping relationship in which the nurse assists the client to
achieve and obtain optimal health.

5. CHARACTERISTICS OF NURSING:
• Nursing is caring.
• Nursing involves close personal contact with the recipient of care.
• Nursing is concerned with services that take humans into account as
physiological, psychological, and sociological organisms.
• Nursing is committed to promoting individual, family, community, and
national health goals in its best manner possible.
• Nursing is committed to personalized services for all persons without regard
to color, creed, social or economic status.
• Nursing is committed to involvement in ethical, legal, and political issues in
the delivery of health care.
•

6. CONTD…
• It is a disciplined involved in the delivery of health care to
the society.
• It is a helping profession
• It is service-oriented to maintain health and well-being of
people.
• It is an art and a science

7. PERSONAL QUALITIES OF A NURSE:
• Must have a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.
• Must be physically and mentally fit.
• Must have a license to practice nursing in the country.
• Dedication in the caring of the patient
• Good listener
• Knowledge updating on time
• Follow the code of ethics in nursing

8. CONCEPT OF NURSING
• The art and science of modern nursing encompasses fundamental nursing
concepts that include health, illness, stress and health promotion.
• Nurses work with physicians and other medical staff in a wide variety of
medical and community settings. They provide preventive, primary, acute and
chronic care for sick and injured patients with health information, restorative
care, medication administration and emergency care.
• Nursing care focuses on protecting and promoting physical and mental health
for patients and for the community.

9. DEFINITIONS OF PROFESSION :
• Profession is defined as a vocation requiring advanced training and
usually involving mental rather than manual work, as teaching,
engineering, especially medicine,
law -Webster1989.
• Profession – is a calling that requires special knowledge, skill and
preparation.
• An occupation that requires advanced knowledge and skills and that it
grows out of society’s needs for special services.

10. CRITERIA OF PROFESSION:
• To provide a needed service to the society.
• Based on scientific knowledge
• To develop and follow advance knowledge in its field.
• To protect its members and make it possible to practice effectively.
• Goal oriented
• Evidence based practice
• Educational qualification

11. CHARACTERISTICS OF A PROFESSION:
• A basic profession requires an extended education of its members, as
well as a basic liberal foundation.
• A profession has a theoretical body of knowledge leading to defined
skills, abilities and norms.
• A profession provides a specific service.
• Members of a profession have autonomy in decision-making and
practice.
• The profession has a code of ethics for practice.

12. PHILOSOPHY OF NURSING
Why philosophy?
• Too often we dismiss philosophy as something obscure that has
nothing to do with our practice. It is true that much contemporary
academic philosophy is criticized for being very technical, narrowly
focused and detached from human concerns (Norris 2014).
• But this is not how we understand philosophy in Careful Nursing. Our
aim is to think philosophically about nursing ideas and how we
practice.

13. Contd…
• Philosophy has its roots in the ancient world as philo-sophia, love of
wisdom. Wisdom was sought by observing and experiencing the
whole of reality and, through reflection and reasoning, seeking to
understand human life and relationships and how to lead a good and
flourishing life.
• In nursing we can think of this as reflecting on the reality of our
nursing world, using reasoning to examine the concepts we use
and how we apply them in practice. Philosophical thinking underlies
out aim to practice nursing in the best possible way; it helps us to
flourish as nurses.

15. SCOPE OF NURSING PRACTICE
• Hospital/Institutional Nursing – a nurse working in an institution with patients
Example: rehabilitation, lying-in, etc.
• ·Public Health Nursing/Community Health Nursing – usually deals with families and
communities. Eg. In the village/family/primary health center.
• Private Duty/special Duty Nurse – privately hired
• Industrial/Occupational Nurse – a nurse working in factories/companies.
• Nursing Education – nurses works in school/college.
• Military Nurse – nurses working in a military base/hospital.
• Clinic Nurse – nurses working in a private and public clinic.
• Independent Nursing Practice – private practice, BP monitoring, home service.
• ICN: Infection Control Nurse is a specialized in infection control programme and works
in hospital.
• Nurse Researcher: Nurse who carryout/assist in research activities.
• Nurse administrator: works in hospital as Director/NS/DNS/ANS etc.

16. CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES
• The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements
• (The Code) was developed as a guide for carrying out nursing
responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the
ethical obligations of the profession. Also, in recognition of the impact
ethical practice has on patient safety and the quality of care.
The International Council of Nurses (ICN) Code of Ethics for Nurses has
four principal elements that outline the standards of ethical conduct.
1. Nurses and people
2. Nurses and practice
3. Nurses and the profession
4. Nurses and co-workers

17. PREAMBLE
Nurses have four fundamental responsibilities:
1. To promote health,
2. To prevent illness,
3. To restore health and
4. To alleviate suffering.
The need for nursing is universal. Inherent in nursing is a respect for
human rights, including cultural rights, the right to life and choice, to
dignity and to be treated with respect. Nursing care is respectful of and
unrestricted by considerations of age, colour, creed, culture, disability or illness,
gender, sexual orientation, nationality, politics, race or social status. Nurses
render health services to the individual, the family and the community and
coordinate their services with those of related groups.

18. REFERENCES:
1. Coulehan J. L., Block M. R. (2005): The Medical Interview: Mastering skills for clinical practice,
5th Ed. P.215.
2. Dunphy L. M., Winland-Brown J. E. (2011): Primary care: The art and science of advanced
practice nursing.p.119.
3. O'Lynn, CE (2007). "History of men in nursing: a review". In O'Lynn, CE; Tranbarger, RE. Men
in Nursing: History, Challenges, and Opportunities. New York: Springer Pub. pp. 6-8.
4. Levine, EB; Levine, ME (1965). "Hippocrates, father of nursing, too?". The American Journal of
Nursing. 65 (12): 86–8. doi:10.1097/00000446-196512000-00022
5. Bloy, M. "Florence Nightingale (1820–1910)". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
6. Ferngren, GB (2009). Medicine and health care in early Christianity. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press. p. 121.
7. https://www.carefulnursing.ie/go/overview/philosophy/introduction
8. https://www.icn.ch/sites/default/files/inline-files/2012_ICN_Codeofethicsfornurses_%20eng.pdf