Professionalism Essay Example

Professionalism Essay Example Professionalism Essay Professionalism Essay Over the last two hundred years nursing has changed on so dramatically In so many ways. While I was researching for this paper I had a hard time choosing Just five changes but I did narrow it down to: job duties, public image, education standards, nurse patient ratios, and technology. Job duties: This one I found so very interesting; we have come so far. Nurses were first known as handmaidens. Their role was limited to doing exactly what the doctor told them. Typical duties included: cleaning of the patients areas, sweep/mop floors, making beds, laundry, giving patients food, help patients in/out of bed, and occasionally help with bandages. Nurses in the sasss were a lot like a maid In my opinion. Today nurses are a lot more Involved in the patients actual care. The nurses duties include assessments, development of a nursing plan, patient/family teaching, medication education, and many other hands on duties. Nurses are given a lot of responsibility today, they are no longer the doctors handmaiden. Public Image: The public Image of a nurse has changed, In my pollen, for the better In recent years. From all the reading I did while researching for this paper it almost sounded as if this was a job that woman who could find a husband would have, or maybe Just until they found a husband. If fact, for many years nurses were not allowed to be married or have children as it was thought these would be a distraction. Nursing has become a highly respected profession today. Nurses are viewed as more than the doctors handmaiden by society. Nurses are highly educated professional who advocate for their patients. According to Gallup poll, nursing has been rated the number 1 for honesty and ethical standards for the 1 lath year in a row. Education Standards: In the sasss medical training throughout the United States was still largely through apprenticeships. In 1860, Florence Nightingale founded the first professional nurse training school in England. I think this was the start for the push in the united States as well. Dorothy Dixie fought for women to be allowed to treat men during the Civil War. At first there were certain parameters, but those soon went by the wayside as the need for nurses increased. Throughout this time the education required was increasing as well. In 1873, the first educational programs for nurses in the United States were established in New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. The education requirements today are much higher. Some employers will accept two year degree but more and more a moving to require a four year degree. These degrees are meant to make sure the nurse Is well educated In many areas. Nurses now are expected to now when an order, medication, or dosage Is wrong and be able to effectively communicate that with the doctor to ensure the patient receives the best possible care. Nurse to Patient ratio: Until ten very late Into ten early z nurse to patient orators were completely unregulated. Only thirteen states currently have legislation about staffing ratios and those laws are very vague. Nurse to patient ratios are important for so many reasons. A few of those reasons are safety for the patient as well as the nurse, quality of care given to the patient and patient satisfaction. Technology: Technology has changed the face of nursing dramatically. Gone are the days of black and red pens, along with paper orders and written MARs. Patients are assigned a MR. (medical record number); this number will bring up all of their medical records that are within that specific health system. If a patient signs the Care Everywhere consent, certain health systems can link to each other. This technology gives providers a greater look into the patients history. This is Just a small touch on the many ways nursing has changed in the last two hundred years.