What is Nursing

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What is Nursing????

• Christine Thrasher

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Topics of Discussion

• What is health??
• What is Nursing??
• Professional practice
• Organizations
• Legislation/Standards/Guidelines
• Competencies
• Roles Settings

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What is Health????

• Health is a dynamic process whereby the
  individual, family or community is able to
  realize aspirations, satisfy needs and change or
  cope with the environment. Health is a resource
  for everyday life. It is a positive concept
  emphasizing social and personal resources as well
  as physical capacity. (WHO)
• Health is the goal of all nursing behaviours. 

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What is Nursing????

• The purpose of nursing is the highest possible
  level of health or self-actualization for
  clients/patients. (Bevis).
• Nursing is a process. Its purpose is to promote
  optimal health through nursing activities.
  Nursings role is to facilitate maturation and
  adaptation in these client systems.

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CNO Definition of Nursing

• The goal of nursing is to restore, maintain and
  advance the health of individuals, groups or
  entire communities. It is both a science and an
  art.
• The science is the application of nursing
  knowledge and the technical aspects of the
  practice.
• The art is the establishment of a caring
  relationship through which the nurse applies
  nursing knowledge, skills and judgment in a
  compassionate manner.
• Both focus on the whole person, not just a
  particular health problem.

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Competencies

• assessment /intervention,
• communication,
• critical thinking,
• teaching,
• human caring relationships,
• management
• leadership
• knowledge integration skills

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Roles of Nursing

• Clinician
• CNS
• NP
• Educator
• Administrator
• Researcher

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Where do nurses work????

• Based on the definition of health and nurses
  rolesgtgtgtgtgtgtgt

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Professionalism

• Defined body of knowledge
• Advanced Educational Preparation
• Autonomy/Self Governance /Leadership
• Code of Ethics

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What Legislation and Regulation Govern Nursing?

• Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA)
• Nursing Act
• They provide the legal framework for nursing as a
  self-regulating profession and give CNO the
  responsibility for carrying out nursing
  regulation to protect the public interest.

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RHPA

• an umbrella regulation for 21 health professions,
  including nursing.
• The RHPA was developed to
• increase the openness and responsiveness of the
  health care system
• provide a regulatory system that allows consumers
  greater freedom to choose their health care
  providers
• and promote greater public participation in the
  regulation of the health care professions.

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RHPA/Nursing Act Definition of Nursing

• The practice of nursing is the promotion of
  health
• and the assessment of, the provision of care for
• and the treatment of health conditions by
• supportive, preventive, therapeutic, palliative
  and
• rehabilitative means in order to attain or
• maintain optimal function.

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Controlled Acts

• Acts that are considered to be potentially
  harmful if performed by unqualified persons.
• The RHPA outlines 13 controlled acts under
  specified conditions.The Nursing Act (p. 12)
  authorizes nurses to perform three controlled
  acts.
• 1. Performing a prescribed procedure below the
  dermis or a mucous membrane.
• 2. Administering a substance by injection or
  inhalation
• 3. Putting an instrument hand or finger beyond..
• The Nursing Act gives RNs and RN(EC)s who meet
  certain conditions the authority to initiate
  specific controlled acts
• without a specific order or medical directive
  from a physician.

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3 additional Controlled Acts

• RNs Registered in the Extended Class (RNEC) can
• communicate a diagnosis
• order the application of a form of energy
• (i.e., specific x-rays and diagnostic
  ultrasound) and
• prescribe a drug as designated in the
• regulations.

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College of Nurses of Ontario

• Regulatory body for nursing in the province.
• Its mission is to protect the publics right to
  quality nursing services by providing leadership
  to the nursing profession in self-regulation.
• Decides the criteria for becoming a nurse in
  Ontario and the practice standards that must be
  met to maintain that designation.
• Only those with a valid certificate of
  registration from CNO can practice as a nurse in
  Ontario and use the titles nurse, registered
  nurse, or
• registered practical nurse.

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CNO (cont)

• CNO has about 139,000 members
• Largest group of health professionals in Ontario.
  
• More than 500 RNs are RN(EC)s.

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CNO

• Practice Standards
• Professional Standards,
• Ethics
• Resuscitation.
• Therapeutic Nurse Client Relationship
• Practice Guidelines
• Consent,
• Independent Practice
• Medical Directives
• Culturally Sensitive Care.

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Confidentiality

• 1.All information relating to the physical,
  psychological and social health of clients is
  confidential. Also relates to any client
  information obtained as part of the nursing
  relationship.
• 2. Relevant information is shared with the health
  team,
• 3. Information may be shared outside the health
  team with the clients consent.
• 4. At times, nurses learn information that, if
  not revealed, will result in harm to the client
  or others..
• 5. Some legislation requires nurses to reveal
  confidential information to others. Child and
  Family Services Act (1990).
• 6. The responsibility for confidentiality
  outlives the professional relationship and
  continues indefinitely after the nurse has ceased
  to care for the client.

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Consent

• Required for any treatment except treatment
  provided in certain emergency situations.
• The consent must
• ? relate to the treatment being proposed
• ? be informed
• ? be voluntary and
• ? not have been obtained through
  misrepresentation or fraud
• There is no minimum age for giving consent.

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Code of Ethics

• Ethical Values
• CNO has identified the following values as
• being most important in providing nursing care
• in Ontario
• client well-being
• client choice
• privacy and confidentiality
• respect for life
• maintaining commitments
• truthfulness and fairness.

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Ethical ConcernsWorking them through..

• Assessment
• Patients values/beliefs/wishes
• Identify/explore your own values and beliefs
• the focus of this term
• Plan
• Implement
• Evaluate

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Other Nursing Organizations

• ICN
• CNA
• RNAO
• ONA

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Professional Socialization

• NURSING PROFESSIONAL SOCIALIZATION HAS BEGUN
• HOW FAR HAVE YOU COME?