Introduction
The term nursing has its usage borrowed from medieval periods. The term is common in many countries today. Its first-time use is identified in the Biblical story of St. Paul Church. It is said that Paul would send men to preach, and they would be accompanied by a nurse. The most notable use in recent times is in America and Canada (White & Truax, 2007).
Meaning of nursing
In the mentioned Countries, the term nursing means a person who helps people who are either sickly or injured to recover. Nursing can be exercised in hospitals or at war zones whereby the injured are attended. The term is hugely popular in many countries nowadays. In some instances, the term refers to the act of taking care without necessarily having the existence of a profession (White & Truax, 2007).
In the most applicable definition, nursing refers to a profession that is concerned with health care. Therefore, it means that nursing has its focus on safeguarding the health of the sick in the family or elsewhere. The greatest distinction, which can be drawn between nurses and other care providers, is based on the fact that their training on patient care is hugely different (Henderson & Vesperi, 1995).
Nursing Values
Nursing, just like any other profession, has numerous values that ought to be observed. In assessing the different values, it is worth noting that nursing has many values considered to be core. A nurse is required to exercise compassion in dealing with patients. The feeling entails a serious concern for the lives of the people he or she is handling. This personal value is based on the fact that patients are not in the health care out of their free will (White & Truax, 2007).
Secondly, a nurse is supposed to be empathetic. This entails the ability to share the feelings that patients are experiencing. The rationale for being emphatic is that patients feel understood and that helps in improving their state of mind in regards to the sickness. A nurse, by being empathetic, respects the values and feelings of the patient (Mcsherry, Mcsherry & Watson, 2012).
Thirdly, a nurse is supposed to be selfless. This means a sense of devotion whereby the wellbeing of other people is more important than the nurse. This value makes a nurse view a patient’s life to be of grave importance (White & Truax, 2007).
Fourth, a nurse is supposed to portray a sense of self-awareness. It is otherwise known as emotional intelligence. A nurse ought to understand the way he or she thinks and acts because it assists in ensuring that situations are dealt with based on that understanding. Situations whereby the nurse may get affected need to be understood so that they can be handled by a nurse who is not adversely affected (Henderson & Vesperi, 1995).
Some of the values that I have brought in the profession are selflessness, emphatic and self-awareness. I believe that the three are particularly essential in strengthening the nursing profession.
Conclusion
There are many descriptions of the word nursing. Its wide usage has been through existence many meanings attached to it. The values attached to the profession are very many, and they ought to be cultivated for the thriving of the profession. Therefore, I have developed the values of empathy, selflessness and creating self-awareness.
Reference List
Henderson, J N & Vesperi, M D 1995, The culture of long term care: nursing home ethnography, Westport, Conn, Bergin & Garvey.
Mcsherry, W, Mcsherry, R & Watson, R 2012, Care in nursing: principles, values and skills, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
White, B S & Truax, D 2007, The nurse practitioner in long-term care: guidelines for clinical practice. Sudbury, Mass, Toronto, Jones and Bartlett.
