Professional Documents
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Exploring How New Registered Nurses Construct Professional Identity in Hospital Settings
Exploring How New Registered Nurses Construct Professional Identity in Hospital Settings
I. Introduction
The nation faces increase graduates of nursing. Many of which
has the ambition to work abroad and serve our own country for quite
sometime. Most of them also did local working as training ground
then after 1 or 2 years will opted to try their opportunities in different
part of the world. Before having their training, there’s always
memorable start, from the time they entered a certain facility to apply
for the position then to stage of working with colleagues. Many
attitudes had been observed such as trembling, frightened, high level
of anxiety and many others. The question is how an individual at one
time is the same individual at another time in a hospital setting. In the
event of the increase number of graduates there’s also a potentially
dangerous nursing shortage. According to Groom (2003), registered
nurse’s average age is 47 years. This, coupled with the number of
nurses leaving the profession because they are dissatisfied, is
creating a crisis. Although staff shortages have occurred in health
care throughout history, experts believe the developing nursing
shortage is uniquely serious due to a supply shortage and a demand
increase. Issues involved include steep population growth in several
states, a diminished pipeline of new nursing students, an aging work
force, a Baby Boomer bubble that require intense health care
services just as the majority of nurses retire, and broadening health
care job opportunities. (Sigma Theta Tau International, 2001)
Current nursing research supports a disparity between the
idealism and professionalism of the educational process and
professionalism and the actualization of the practice environment,
which leads to nurses leaving the profession. Saarman, Freitas,
Rapps, and Riegel (2008) concluded that the further research is
needed to determine whether nursing eduacational programs have
significant influence on professional socialization when compared
with the workplace. Additional knowledge could help in understanding
this gap and contribute increased retention in nursing. Saarman et.al.
concluded that quantitative research would be useful to examine
professional nurse characteristics. Such an approach would allow
data to define the entity rather than to test a preconceived definition.
The development of professional of professional identity is an
importatnt process in nursing profession (Secrest, Norwood &
Keatley, 2003). Historically nurses have found difficulty in defining
nursing and distinguishing it from other health care disciplines.
According to Secrest et. al., no literature has been found describing
what being a nurse means to an individual.
According from Patricia Benner, Novice to Expert’s theory, in
the acquisition and development of a skill, a student passes through
five levels of proficiency: novice, advanced beginner, competent,
proficient, and expert. These different levels reflect changes in three
general aspects of skilled performance: (1) One is a movement from
reliance on abstract principles to the use of past concrete experience
as paradigms. (2) The second is a change in the learner's perception
of the demand situation, in which the situation is seen less and less
as a compilation of equally relevant bits, and more and more as a
complete whole in which only certain parts are relevant. (3) The third
is a passage from detached observation to involved performer. The
performer no longer stands outside the situation but is now engaged
in the situation.
Nursing is a kind of occupation delivering services to
individuals, families, and societies of all conditions. High level job
satisfaction is important for nurses in order to their services delivery
quality be high as well. In the literature, it is declared that in case
individuals have high work satisfaction, behaviors such as being
active at work, pursuing new goals and establishing good
relationships are observed. On the other hand, in case of being
unsatisfied , problems may arise such as slowing down the work
pace, being late for work or not attending at work, resigning of work,
starting to complain, being critical (Asti and Pektekin, 1194; Kacel et.
al., 2005; Rambuer et. al.,2005; Fako-Thabo, 2000)
Passing the
Licensure
Examination
Job
Application
IV. Bibliography
Denise Depoliti, “Exploring How New Registered Nurses Construct Professional
Identity in Hospital Settings”, The Journal of Continuing Educationin Nursing,
June 2008, p. 255
A Concept paper:
Discovering the Experiences of
New Registered Nurses in
Establishing their Professional Identity
in Hospital Settings
Prepared to:
Prof. Abalos
Prepared by:
Niña Alma M. Bianson
February 2009