Importance of Nursing Profession

Nursing Staff at the Coronary Care Unit Division Competence refers to a set of demonstrated abilities, skills, attitudes, knowledge, and values underlying effectual, safe, and top-quality performance in any occupation/profession. Ongoing competence refers to midwives' and nurses' ability to demonstrate that they have sustained competence within their present field of practice. Midwives and nurses are only capable of doing this if they have access to an environment that facilitates efficient, effective, and high-quality patient care.

Self-evaluation must involve reflection, peer review, patient and patient outcome evaluation, and critical incident assessment. Though the National Registration Standard does not mandate peer reviews of competence in nursing, it is an unbiased performance assessment for nurses against National Competency Standards (Continuing Competence, 2013). An in-depth evaluation of the National Health Service (NHS) Staff Survey of2009 revealed that scarcely under three-fourths (72%) of staff members have accepted the option of flexibility in working hours.

The most prevalent flexible working forms among NHS midwives and registered nurses (RNs), as per a 2008 survey (the latest survey whose statistics have been analyzed), are units autonomously making rota-related decisions, followed by decreased hours working (e.g. flexi-time and part-time jobs) (Mercer, Buchan, & Chubb, 2010). This survey indicated that roughly one RN/midwife in five (22%) worked to around 29 hours weekly and more than three-fourths (78%) worked 30 hours or more (weekly) in 2008 (Mercer, Buchan, & Chubb, 2010).

The major distinguishing aspect is that, in the past decade, the fractions have marginally changed, in specialties, with a slim rise in education and psychiatry personnel, and a trivial fall in staff engaged in services to the community. Across all NHS staff, about 44%stated that the trust they work for was devoted to assisting staff in balancing work and personal life; this proportion was higher compared to prior years, depicting a steady trend of trusts committing themselves to development of flexible working systems.

Under the European Commission's Working Time Directive (EWTD), the maximum working hours of nursing staff must be 48 hours weekly (Mercer, Buchan, & Chubb, 2010). It was discovered by the National Audit Office (NAO) that more than four-fifths (88%) of trusts could monitor working hours of permanent nursing and bank staff, but none could supervise hours worked extra, on other trusts' banks or via agencies, because of data protection laws; this is a cause for concern, and may likely place clients at risk.

National Health Service Professional (NHSP) report using the EWTD in the form of a guideline to review time worked, with focus on safety of patients (Mercer, Buchan, & Chubb, 2010). Professional Practice: Irrespective of their employment setting, nursing professionals are regulated, and held responsible and accountable for their practice. Their practice has to be in conformity with existing general practice and nursing laws, rules, guidelines and standards (Foley, Bryce, Ashley, Halcomb, & Stephens, 2014).

Nursing Care: Nursing professionals possess the skills and knowledge for providing evidence-based, comprehensive nursing care to patients in general practice. They play a central role in the planning, execution, coordination, supervision and evaluation of healthcare in General Practice. Their functions include assessing and managing immediate issues, as well as preventive care, comprehending the psychological and social context,,health screening, maintenance and promotion (Foley, Bryce, Ashley, Halcomb, & Stephens, 2014). General Practice Environment: Nurses who work in General Practice in Australia are faced with unique challenges.

For performing in this work environment efficiently, nurses need specific General Practice-related skills and knowledge, and have to be aware of its role in the wider context of primary healthcare. Apart from clinical expertise, these nurses must be acquainted with the rules of sustainability and viability of small businesses (Foley, Bryce, Ashley, Halcomb, & Stephens, 2014). Collaborative Practice: General Practice Nurses create and cultivate relationships with team members, practice population, community agencies, other health experts, and organizations that optimize consumer outcomes.

Owing to the ongoing, close relationship of nurses with patients, their guardians and families, nursing professionals are perfectly placed to evaluate and manage numerous health requirements (Foley, Bryce, Ashley, Halcomb, & Stephens, 2014). In earlier years, evidence-based nursing practices (EBPs) were limited to medical discourse; in recent times, however, several other health professionals have ventured forward to adopt EBP practices (e.g. orthodontics). Nurses, in the ideal world, could update their knowledge base by reading various published works in their area.

In reality, nearly a thousand works published every year in relation to, say, surgical nursing, makes this task impossible. EBP enables nurses to keep abreast of significant new developments in a more streamlined, structured way, without overloading them with information. It also enables nurses to communicate effectively with their healthcare unit, and patients, regarding the reasons behind care plans and decisions.

EBP nurses are professionals, confident of the fact that they provide healthcare based not on habits, but on facts, and can be legally accountable for their work (Courtney & McCutcheon, 2010). Important communication skills include listening attentively to patients, empathizing, providing support and information in a therapeutic relational context. A person-centric focus is required, instead of a task- or nurse-centric one; the relationship remains the key. The time devoted to nurturing this relationship both a valuable commodity and an investment.

Several acute healthcare facilities have wards packed with patients of high-dependence, and the time devoted to understanding individual needs of patients is crucial (Bach, 2009).Well-rehearsed techniques of communication do not suffice if the key idea behind inter-personal connection remains unacknowledged. In the context of nursing, the key factor is relationship of patient, caretaker or co-worker with nurse.

One does not tend to communicate without first forging a relationship, whether by means of a poster or information leaflet intended to connect to those who may be familiar or unfamiliar, or by means of physically staying close to one bound by illness to a chair or bed, needing support for alleviating suffering, or by means of a lifesaving therapy or information for preventing a health problem from worsening (Bach, 2009).

The profession of nursing recognizes people's universal right, as well as the ethical responsibility of safeguarding people's equal worth and inherent dignity. This encompasses acknowledging, valuing and, wherever possible, protecting people's various social, cultural, civil, economic, and political rights, applicable to all. The profession of nursing recognizes and understands the crucial relationship of human rights with health and human rights'.