Professional nursing values define nurses’ core values and fundamental responsibilities. Nurse practitioners should help patients to achieve optimal health. Also, they should sustain the demands of various medical stakeholders. They maintain, recover, and guide patients to improve their health. Nurse practitioners are responsible for sustaining the nurse-patient relationship and other medical practices. Hence, they should follow certain professional codes of ethics to maintain peace and harmony in the workplace. Moreover, professional nursing values are an important part of medical care because they teach nurses to reform their caring process. The following paper identifies three professional nursing values that illustrate the nurses’ day-to-day to responsibilities and obligations.
The nursing professional practice requires consistent care, decision-making and communication skills, evidence-based service, and ethical practice. Nurses should provide physical and moral support to patients in hospital settings. Sometimes, patients may suffer from severe traumas and depression, therefore, the professional nursing values help nurses to control different complex situations. The American Association of College of Nursing (2008) defines various professional values that improve nursing care. Some of the most effective aspects are altruism, autonomy, and human dignity. These features guide nurses to enhance their obligations (AACN, 2008).
Altruism teaches nurse practitioners to provide unselfish and noble services in health care units. It illustrates the nurses’ advocacy and concern for the patients’ welfare and healthy development. Altruism defines the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that guide nurse professionals to offer selfless care. It improves the nurse-patient relationship in medical settings. Also, this value betters the patient-centered care process. If a nurse provides service for his or her personal benefit, then such care may create disappointment and agony (AACN, 2008). Hence, altruism is an important part of professional nursing.
Autonomy improves the nurses’ self-determination process. It suggests nursing professionals respect the patients’ rights. Furthermore, autonomy teaches nurses to offer knowledge-based care. It helps them to make an independent decision by using their professional knowledge. The nursing autonomy reforms medical professionals’ decision-making skills. It helps them to cope with changing health care environments. In some emergency conditions, nurses may not get support from doctors or other medical experts. For instance, in the case of natural disasters nurse practitioners may need to work in remote areas without doctors’ support. Therefore, in such a situation, autonomy guides them to develop their service (Skar, 2010).
Human dignity sustains nurses’ caring behavior and ethical responsibilities. Nursing professionals should respect the medical rules and regulations. They must fulfill the patients’ needs by following the health care laws. Humanity is the foundation of nursing practice. It teaches nurses to offer medical care with respect and dignity. In the United States, nursing professionals often meet patients from various social, cultural, and racial backgrounds. Sometimes, a patient may have language barriers to explain their health issues. Therefore, in such conditions, nurses should provide efficient service by respecting the patients’ personal values (AACN, 2008).
In conclusion, professional nursing values guide nurse professionals to reform their services. Nurse practitioners often meet patients from diverse racial or cultural backgrounds. Sometimes, patients may suffer from disappointment or severe stress. Therefore, nurses should follow professional nursing values to offer them quality care. Besides, the AACN designed various aspects of professional values that guide nurses to develop their skills. Nurses should learn altruism, autonomy, and human dignity services to sustain medical clients’ demands. These professional aspects help medical professionals to improve the nurse-patient relationship. Also, they advance their decision-making, communication, and patient-centered care process. Hence, nurse practitioners should follow professional nursing values to offer optimal care in various healthcare settings.