VALUES
As a health care professional and Registered Nurse I have many beliefs, attributes and important values that make up my professional identity. My experiences along with my personal and professional growth continue to transform and develop that identity. “Nurses hold values that underlie their moral and ethical responsibilities towards their patients, their communities, their professions, their employers and themselves. “ (Ayla, Ozyazicioglu, Atak, & Surenler, 2018). Although I have strayed away from bedside nursing to more of a technical and support role, my professional values still adhere to, but are not limited to, those as a nurse in direct patient care.
ETHICS
Ethics and overall quality of care has remained my number one value in my profession, and while I am sitting in front of my phone and my computer every day, I ultimately perform my job for the patients and families we care for. Alberta’s Code of Ethics explains that nursing is concerned with the health and well-being of individuals, families and communities as well as how broad societal issues affect health and well-being. (Canadian Nurses Association, 2017). Working as a support person for both health workers and the technologies they use, I am able to indirectly help in improving the efficiency and quality of the patient care health care professionals provide. Although technology is my close friend, like many other professionals, I am very aware of and cautions of the online social world. Protecting someone’s morals and confidentiality is so important in health care, so I do my best to maintain a private and professional image when it comes to social media. As a Registered Nurse, I feel I have a responsibility to positively represent my organization, coworkers, and the important work that we do every day. I strive to not only respect myself, my patients, and my fellow health workers, but to protect their values and privacy.
TECHNOLOGICAL GROWTH
Working in an IT role I have noticed how much I value the developing technologies in health care and it’s systems. Health informatics is a rapidly growing field, and even though “a sizeable gap exists in the science of informatics relating to our understanding of health systems” (Coiera, 2004, 1198), I think rising innovation is our present and our future. With research and development constantly ongoing, health care is a field of expanding and endless knowledge. With technological developments, the “Knowing “about” is replaced by knowing “how to find out,” and clinicians and machines are always connected to each other” (Coiera, 2004, 1197). A prime example of this for me was working in the NICU. Many policies and procedures existed, and while it was impossible to memorize every standard or calculation, as long as you knew where to look all of the information is at your fingertips. The more efficient we become, the more superior care we can give.
PERSONAL GROWTH
As much as I value the growth of our system, I always put great emphasis on my growth as a person and a health care professional. This is why I am currently enrolled in the Master of Health Studies program at Athabasca University. Throughout the decades “nurses have developed themselves into professionals with a great deal of knowledge, as witnessed by the development of nursing protocols and guidelines.” (Ten Hoeve, Jansen, & Roodbol, 2013, 296). Every day I learn new things about medical systems and technologies, our health systems and about myself. I recurrently discover where I fit in and what new things I can contribute to my team and coworkers. “Professional identity and self‐concept can undergo changes due to interactions with colleagues, other healthcare professionals and patients” (Ten Hoeve, Jansen, & Roodbol, 2013, 297). I work with nurses, doctors, managers and many clinical staff every day to help improve their knowledge and the efficiency of the systems we use. I encounter questions, suggestions on system improvements, and troubleshoot many problems, which all contribute to my learning and growth.
References
Canadian Nurses Association. (2017). Code of ethics for registered nurses. Retrieved from https://www.cna-aiic.ca/-/media/cna/page-content/pdf-en/code-of-ethics-2017-edition-secure-interactive.pdf
Coiera E. (2004). Four rules for the reinvention of health care. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 328(7449), 1197-9. doi: 10.1136/bmj.328.7449.1197
Ten Hoeve Y., Jansen G. & Roodbol P. (2013) The nursing profession: public image, self‐concept and professional identity. A discussion paper. Journal of Advanced Nursing 70(2), 295–309. doi: 10.1111/jan.12177
Ayla, I. A., Ozyazicioglu, N., Atak, M., & Surenler, S. (2018). Determination of professional values in nursing students. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 254. Retrieved from http://0-search.ebscohost.com.aupac.lib.athabascau.ca/login.aspx?direct=true&db=rzh&AN=129399262&site=eds-live
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