Module 2

 Defining nursing is an important first step toward professional practice.  Provides framework for nursing practice  Establishes the boundaries (parameters) of profession  Clarifies the purpose and functions of nurses' work  Differentiates nursing from other professions  Definitions influence health policy at local, state, and national levels.  Definitions of nursing roles are required by nurse practice acts.  Definitions aid in developing educational curricula and research agendas. 2

 Why define nursing?  Definitions clarify purposes and functions.  Definitions differentiate nursing from other health occupations.  Definitions influence health policy at local, state, and national levels. 3

 Nightingale's definition of nursing  Contains many concepts that remain contemporary  Includes importance of observational skills, unique body of knowledge, understanding that patient must be put in best condition possible that nature allows  Also includes concepts about the impact of the patients' immediate environment, nutrition, hygiene, comfort  Early twentieth-century definitions  Many were basic and spare.  Virginia Henderson's definitions represented the emergence of contemporary nursing. 4

 Post–World War II definitions  WWII helped advance technologies available for nursing, influencing nursing and requiring changed definitions.  Hildegard Peplau (1952)  Defined nursing in interpersonal terms, reinforcing the idea of the patient as an active collaborator in his or her care 5

 Dorothea Orem (1959)  Orem's definition hinges on the belief that nurses should do for a person only those things the person cannot do without assistance, emphasizing patient's active role.  The International Council of Nurses (ICN) adopted Henderson's definition (1960).  This definition has been widely accepted in the United States and worldwide.  Many believe it remains the most comprehensive and appropriate definition of nursing in existence. 6

 American Nurses Association (ANA; 2010)  Definition includes six essential features of contemporary nursing practice.  A succinct version is in the preface to the Code of Ethics for Nurses (2001).  Royal College of Nursing (RCN; 2003)  RCN is the United Kingdom's voice of nursing and the largest professional union of nurses in the world.  Their definition has a core statement supported by six defining characteristics.  ICN  ICN is a federation of nurses representing more than 13 million nurses in more than 130 countries.  Their definition is quite similar to ANA and RCN. 7

 A critical definition of nursing for each nurse is contained in the nurse practice act of the state in which the nurse practices.  Constitutes the legal definition of nursing in a particular state  Typical wording includes the following (North Carolina, 2009):  "Nursing is a dynamic discipline which includes the assessing, caring, counseling, teaching, referring and implementing of prescribed treatment in the maintenance of health, prevention and management of illness, injury, disability or the achievement of a dignified death…" 8

 Why is defining nursing so difficult?  Write your own definition of nursing. Keep it among your professional papers to refer to in later years. See how it evolves over time. 9

 Your image of nursing and what it entails probably changed while you were in your pre-licensure nursing program, and may even change more while you’re in this program.  You will develop and mature over the course of your education.  The overarching goal of nursing education is:  To teach you to think like a nurse  To see the world of health care through the lens of nursing  To respond to the effects of both educational and clinical experiences by developing professionalism  Nursing requires students to internalize new knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviors, values, and ethical standards into their own professional identities.  This process is known as professional socialization. 10

 Distance learning is a new factor influencing socialization.  It is a fast-growing phenomenon in nursing schools and hospital settings.  The entire curriculum is available online in many educational settings, just like in this program  There is a growing question about whether professional socialization can be developed using online education.  Additional research is needed to learn how best to incorporate socialization into distance learning.  Examples we use are:  Discussion boards  Wikis  Incorporation of student interests (like last week’s question regarding books, movies, and TV shows) 11

 Identify pros and cons of distance learning as it pertains to socialization.  Assess your time management skills using the Time Management Self-Assessment on page 125 of the Black textbook.  Check out some of the resources listed under the Self-Study Assignments web link to “Collection of Websites related to Student Readiness for Online Learning” 12