Education, experience, and compassion in professional development

Canadian Nursing: The Requirements of Quality Nursing Care

Critical Success Factors in Nursing

In order to become a good nurse, one must have a good education, experience, and compassion. Not one of these factors is more important than the other; rather a good nurse must demonstrate competency in all three in order to influence patient outcomes in a positive manner and be successful in the nursing field.

Nurses within the Canadian health care system are traditionally responsible for carrying out many different functions at one time. Nurses are typically in the unique position of providing quality patient care on a one to one basis. Their interaction with patients is generally much more intimate than that of physicians, and patients often find themselves turning to their nursing care provider for guidance and support. Thus it is critical that a nurse not only have the ability to provide sound medical advice and care but also support patients with kindness, caring and compassion.

Nurses are in the unique position of building familiarity and trust with a client; they are critical monitors of a client's treatment needs and thus the nurse client relationship is one of the most important competencies critical to a successful career in the nursing industry (Peternelj-Taylor & Yonge, 2003). Nurses in the Canadian health system may be working autonomously within an independent practice or more commonly as members of an interdisciplinary team, working collaboratively with other health care providers (Peternelj-Taylor & Yonge, 2003). Thus it is critical given the complex nature of their position that they have a solid educational foundation from which to work.

When combined with experience, nurses who are educated and well rounded are more likely to excel in the medical health care industry and offer patients and primary care providers the greatest versatility of treatment. Today's medical care centers require that nurses have mastered a complex skill set and be able to manage a diverse amount of tasks at once. Thus education and experience become critical factors for success in the nursing field.

Campbell, Cascio, Clark, Rains & Sandor (1998) suggest that teaching strategies and educational instruction must teach nurses to improve their critical thinking skills in order to succeed and make complex decisions as part of a community health nursing practice. These critical thinking skills will enable nurses to act and react in emergent situations, and also enable nursing providers to deal with the unexpected, a common occurrence in the medical community.

Other researchers point out how critical it is for the nurse to be involved in all stages of patient care including the planning, management, evaluation and construction of management protocols and care requirements for patients (Al-Almaei, Albar, Hanif & Mangoud, 2000). Nurses are faced with many of the same challenges as primary physicians, including the responsibility for delivering quality health care within the constraints of the health care system in Canada.

Nurses are in the unique position of being able to interact with patients one on one and provide empathy, compassion and nurturing in times when the patient might need it most. Comprehensive health services require the utilization of nursing services. Nurses need to be qualified in today's complex health care system to manage a wide range of jobs that including intensive care or emergency care to chronic and maintenance care. It is just as important for a nurse to have a solid educational background and experience as it is for a nurse to exhibit kindness and compassion while on the job.

The nurse will be the individual that interacts with a patient most frequently. Rather than contact the physician initially with questions, most patients will turn to their nurses for guidance and support. Many patients assume that their nurse will be there for them for the duration of their treatment, and thus look for characteristics of empathy and compassion when seeking care.

A nurse that demonstrates compassion is more likely to influence a patient's treatment outcome in a positive manner than one who does not (Peternelj-Taylor & Yonge, 2003). It is important that a nurse understand how critical it is to support patients, but also have the ability to recognize client/provider boundaries and not overstep their boundaries at any given point in time (Peternelj-Taylor & Yonge, 2003). Proper education and experience will help a nurse determine how much one on one attention and compassion is needed balanced out with an appropriate dose of medical professionalism and technical ability.

Many patients often look to their nurse for guidance and support, particularly when undergoing intense therapy for chronic or life threatening conditions. This is where compassion becomes an essential skill for nursing success. A nurse that is possessed of a compassionate personality is much more likely to provide a patient with the appropriate level of support when undergoing therapy, and that support will influence a patient's outcome.