How Society and Nurses Affect the Roles of Nursing Lisa A. Turner University of Alabama Birmingham Transitions into Professional Nursing Practice, NUR 474

How Society and Nurses Affect the Roles of Nursing Introduction A nurse has many roles and parts to play in the daily routine of caring for patients. By examining the different roles of a nurse; health promoter, care provider; learner and teacher, we will see how nursing has evolved and how the philosophy of nursing changes. How these roles tie into society and into the symbiotic relationship between society at large and the nursing profession. The shift of healthcare to prevention, education, and the ever changing world of medicine, along with the realization that a nurse’s job is specialized, has tremendously affected the beliefs and ideas of the profession. Based on our textbook, research, and my personal experiences I will explore and clarify my philosophy of nursing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the fact that nursing is an ever-changing profession which society’s ideas and beliefs will impact, whether by necessity or through evolution. Health Promoter and Care Provider Health promotion or prevention is the latest hot topic in the healthcare arena. According

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to Prochaska, J. and DiClemente, C. (1992), the nursing strategies for health behavior change are Precontemplation, Contemplation, Preparation, Action and Maintenance touch on every different type of nurse and show a need for growth. While providing hands on care, the nurse “raises the client’s awareness of healthy behaviors”. This could be the role of a hospital nurse, clinical nurse or a home healthcare nurse. The time needed for the patient to go from precontemplation to action or maintenance would involve the answering of questions, positive reinforcement, maybe even mapping out a plan or schedule to help the patient achieve their goal. The combination of provider and promoter, have enabled the patient to view the nurse as a knowledgeable resource, Florence Nightingale with a Ph.D., instead of just a clip board. As

How Society and Nurses Affect the Roles of Nursing Prochaska and DiClemente have pointed out there can be sudden or gradual relapses to previous behavior patterns (Blais, & Hayes 2002). Because people slip back into comfortable habits whether healthy or not the continued education provided by a nurse has become of greater importance. Because a habit involves that new information is not taken into consideration, it is often very hard to change habitual information using a persuasive message. Informational strategies are also essential in communicating the positive outcomes of alternative behavior (Jager, W. (2003). For example, society has gone from thinking, “the marlboro man is cool” to

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realizing addiction to tobacco is a serious problem and huge financial burden on healthcare. The need for nurses to be cheerleaders and educators on a continuum is now self-evident. In the world of insurance and reimbursement we hear the phrase, “Pay per performance”. This idea may not be out there front and center but it is already being implemented in hospitals. For example if a patient develops a bedsore while in the hospital any complications resulting from that bedsore will not be covered. The thought being, if the nurse had turned the patient every two hours, then the sore would not have developed. They leave out any preexisting health conditions that may have been dormant until the present hospitalization. This is where the beliefs and ideas have placed new emphasis on health prevention and promotion. Learner and Teacher A nurse has to always be willing to be a learner. A patient once said to me, “If you aren’t learning something new every day then you are not living.” I have never forgotten that. As technology changes so does medicine and nurses must learn or they fall behind.

How Society and Nurses Affect the Roles of Nursing Ethical and Civic Responsibilities

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When I think of civic responsibilities, paying taxes, voting, and obeying the law all come to mind. “We must instill a sense of duty in our children”; “every right implies a responsibility; every opportunity, an obligation; every possession, a duty”- John D. Rockefeller Jr. (Civic Responsibility 2011). According to Blurtit.com, ethics is the study of proper conduct and good living. It takes a special person to be a nurse. I know that sounds like such a cliché, but it is true. Ethic and civic responsibilities for a nurse would be: proper documentation, implementing doctors’ orders accurately, educating patients, and being the patients’ advocate. Some ethical responsibilities I believe are innate. Meaning the nurse has a conscience, a sense of duty. As the laws change so does the reach of ethical responsibility. Once discharged from the hospital the patient is still expected to follow up on their own. Before discharge the nurse must give explicit instructions in writing with possible exact dates and times of appointments if possible. Education leaflets are given to patients on new medications and diets. This is an excellent start to assisting the patient, but the patient must still follow up with their primary care. The role of nursing is intertwined with society and the misconceived notions of society. References Blais, K., & Hayes, J. (2002). Professional nursing practice, concepts and prespectives. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Civic Responsibility. (2011). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved June 29, 2011, from http://www.BrainyQuote.com Jager, W., (2003). Breaking bad habits: a dynamical perspective on habit formation and change.

How Society and Nurses Affect the Roles of Nursing University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands. Retrieved from http://www.rug.nl/staff/w.jager/jager_habits_chapter_2003.pdf. Prochaska, J., & DiClemente, C., (1982). Toward a more intergrative model of change. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 19, 276-288. Prochaska, J., & DiClemente, C., (1992).Stages of change in the modification of problem behaviors. Progress in Behavior Modification, 28, 183-218.

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