Nurses As A Nurse Healer

I personally define nursing as aiding in the recovery and survival of another person using the specialized knowledge, ability, and critical thinking skills attained through study and experience. The word nurse translates in Latin to nourish. This Latin translation reveals that nurses nourish when a person is in need. Angelo Gonzalo (2011) states, “Nursing is an art through which the practitioner of nursing gives specialized assistance to persons with disabilities which makes more than ordinary assistance necessary to meet needs for self-care” (Major Concepts section, para. 1). Nursing requires a diligent and hardy person to be able to assess the situation, access the appropriate knowledge and skills, and accordingly provide the care a person needs.

It’s the nurse's duty to advocate for her patient and to make sure that the patient understands and ask questions if necessary.

Nursing is defined as the promotion, protection and the prevention of illness and Injury, the treatment of a patient’s disease or diseases, the patient’s response to a disease, as well as one big thing that nurses are known for, and that is being a patient’s advocate nursing has been one of the fastest growing fields since the 1990’s (Mueller et al.,2012). Advocacy is defined as an action in which a person speaks out, argues a cause, supports and defends on the behalf of others. I believe that the role of being a patient advocate is one of the most important things a nurse can do because there are many patients that cannot speak on their behalf, I believe that it is up to the nurses to be those patients as well as all patient’s voices (Mueller et al., 2012).

A nurse is a health care professional who cares for ill or disabled individuals, their families and communities ensuring that they attain, maintain or recover optimum health and functioning (Crosta, 2013). There are several kinds of nurses classified depending on their education and experiences. As an example,

The role of a nurse is viewed as stressful, so nurses need to be emotionally ready and be physically fit to participate in delivering care. Acts of kindness, trustworthiness, promoting privacy, ensuring dignity, being engrossed into the artistry of caring and engaging in anti-discriminatory practice (Baughan & Smith 2008) by respecting everyone, irrespective of age, culture, gender, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and the condition from which they are afflicted, are caring indicators of a nurse.

In Nursing, there will always be instances where the patient's nurse needs to advocate for their patient. There are numerous reasons why a nurse would advocate for their patient ranging from getting the doctor to change the patient’s orders, helping the patient’s treatment team understand what it is the patient is requiring for the day, to expressing the patient’s last wishes before death. In every situation, the nurse should do what is in the patient’s best interest. Tomajan (2012), “Advocacy skills are the ability to successfully support a cause or interest on one’s own behalf or that of another. Advocacy requires a set of skills that include problem solving, communication, influence, and collaboration”(p. 2). With those skills, the

When people think about nurses, many ideas come to mind. They think of the hideous old starched, white uniforms, a doctor’s handmaiden, the sexy or naughty nurse, or a torturer. The media and society have manipulated the identity and role of nurses. None of these ideas truly portray nurses and what they do. Nurses are with the patients more than the doctors. People do not realize how little they will encounter the doctor in the hospital until they are actually in the hospital. People quickly realize how important nurses are. Because nurses interact with their patients constantly, nurses are the ones who know the patients best.

Advocating for patients is a key part of nursing. Working in the emergency department, I meet people from all different walks of life, who are sometimes not able to fend or stand up for themselves. As a nurse, it is my job to advocate for them and make sure that they receive the care that they need. . Recently I had a patient who was in pain and was shy to ask for pain management. I advocated for this patient by going to the doctor and requesting pain management for this patient. By recognizing the signs of pain in my patient and having a good form of communication with the doctor, I was able to provide my patient with quick and appropriate care.

To enable individuals to improve, maintain, or recuperate health, to cope with health problems, and to achieve the best possible quality of life, whatever their disease or disability, until death, is undertaken by the use of clinical judgement in the provision of care. Nurses advance health, healing, growth and development and prevent disease, illness, injury and disability. Simultaneously they minimise distress and suffering. They enable patients and families to acknowledge and cope with their disease or disability,

One of the many roles played by a nurse is to advocate for his or her patients,provide holistic care for them, and make surethat

Nurses play many essential roles in the care of their patients, one is being an advocate. Nurse advocates are the liaison between patients and doctors.

Nurses must expand the role of patient advocate to a level broader than individual patient considerations (Porter, 2010).

Curtin's (1979) concept of advocacy is based on the nurse/patient relationship that forms from the common bond of humanity. The nurse must realize patient reactions and needs created by illness, which may threaten the integrity of the person (Bu & Jzewski, 2006, p103)(McSteen & Peden-McAlpine, 2006, p. 260). Gadow (1980) states that advocacy not only preserves, but also positively contributes to self-determination. "The effort to assist patients become clear about what they want in a situation, to assist them in discerning and clarifying their values and examining available options in light of those values" (MacDonald, 2007, p.120) Kohnke's (1982) definition of advocacy focuses on ensuring patient self-determination over decision-making (MacDonald, 2007, p. 120). Advocacy involves the nurse supplying patients with information needed to make appropriate choices and then supporting the decisions they make along with their right to make that decision (Bu & Jzewski, 2006, p103). Robinson (1985) thought advocacy involved allowing patients to make decisions without pressure and promote informed decision-making" (Baldwin, 2003, p. 35). Chafey et. al. (1998) indicated that the nurse-patient relationship is an important feature of advocacy. Teaching, informing, and supporting are activities of patient advocates. Lindahl and Sandman (1998) described patient advocacy as "building a caring relationship, carrying out a commitment, empowering, making room for and

Nurses are known as the heart of health care. Being a nurse is a demanding job that requires commitment, but does not lack rewards. A fact stated by the American Association of Colleges of Nurses claims that “Nurses comprise the largest single component of hospital staff, are the primary providers of hospital patient care, and deliver most of the nation 's long-term care” (“Nursing Fact Sheet”). With many roles throughout the healthcare system as a whole, nurses are a large, very important role that interacts with every other part of the health care system. They have great qualities that not everyone has. They are highly compassionate, caring, professional, diligent and understanding individuals. A nurse experiences people at their worst and still care for patients in a way that no one else would. All these honest points prove that nurses are the most important members of the health care system because, nurses spend the most time with patients, nurses are the managers of patient care; they are teachers and are great with conflict resolution.

Nurses are seen as role models for other humans as they should lead by example and stay away from the dangers that affect our bodies. This may include