As one plans to become a licensed and professional nurse to serve his/her fellow human beings, several codes of ethics and professionalism called the ANA code of nursing are mandatory to be considered. The American Nurses Association (ANA) code of ethics expects nurses to focus on ethical practices and quality care by maintaining the highest ethical standards (Epstein & Turner, 2015). In guiding professionalism in Nursing, elements such as certification, code of ethics, accredited educational procedure, and licensing along with the ethical principles of accountability, justice, and autonomy should be adhered to by every nurse. The ANA code of nursing defines the profession as developing, protecting, and promoting the desired abilities to curb diseases and injuries. Moreover, the act of professional nursing based on the ANA code also refers to the reduction of illness through appropriate treatment and the right diagnosis of the suffering in order to provide care to the individuals in the society at large. Ethical principles backed by experts determine how nurses should behave, act, protect, and advocate for the health, rights, and safety of patients (Fowler, 2008). In a nutshell, the ANA code of ethics is simply moral values that are exhibited by each nurse to ensure quality care for the sick, injured, and vulnerable individuals of society.
Detail challenges in today’s U.S. Healthcare System and how nurses can create a positive impact.
The healthcare system of the United States is a constant subject of complications and challenges related to the quality of care, insurance, planning of costs, recent reforms, diverse-friendly care, and massive digitalization of health data. In addition, nurses serve on the front foot and are vulnerable to the challenges such as ethics, the business of health care delivery, and the multi-generational labor force that influence the nursing practice (Shortell et al., 2010). The business of healthcare is a rising challenge in the United States because of the corporatization and skyrocketing costs of healthcare. Administrators are regularly held accountable for delivering care with limited funds. Resultantly, the business of care has distorted the trade. Nurses face a myriad of challenges in their day-to-day duties due to the financial challenges of the business of healthcare. However, nurses can use their voice and experience to advocate for the unhealthy population of the community by having a good attitude about the way how the business of any healthcare organization works and how other staff work to ensure better patient outcomes. This positive attitude will also help nurses to improve their outlook in the care facility and make the healthcare system a happy, productive, and more pleasant work environment.
Describe how you believe your previous career, experience, and/or education will shape your future in nursing.
Motivation and drive can beat the experience of any member of the team and this is true in my case for a nursing role. I believe that my abilities, motivation, intelligence, and passion to serve fellow human beings will help me become a valuable addition to a team of nurses. When I think back, my interest in wanting to study Nursing started right when I was enrolled in an Associate Degree in Science at Staten Island College. Moreover, EKG technician and phlebotomy certifications made the nursing practice more appealing to me. I wanted to expand my knowledge and skills more in the nursing profession so I planned to earn my bachelor’s degree in Biology in the middle of this year, in August 2022. Alongside my urge to pursue education in Nursing Practice, I worked as a Patient Care Technician and Phlebotomy technician at Rosedale Medical Center (New York City) and Patterson Medical Center (New Jersey) in the years 2013-2019 and 2015-present respectively. Both my personal and professional experiences as well as my competent knowledge and skills led me to pursue Nursing as my desired career path and would help me able to face challenges in a pressure-driven environment. The desirable attitudes such as teamwork, compassion, and competence will push me to surpass all the challenges in this field as well as make me pertinent for this career path.
References
Epstein, B., & Turner, M. (2015). The nursing code of ethics: Its value, its history. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 20(2), 1–10.
Fowler, M. D. M. (2008). Guide to the code of ethics for nurses: Interpretation and application. Nursesbooks. org.
Shortell, S. M., Gillies, R., & Wu, F. (2010). United States innovations in healthcare delivery. Public Health Reviews, 32(1), 190–212.
