Running head: NURSING PROFESSIONALISM AND STEWARDSHIP 1

Professional Identity and Stewardship

Student’s Name

Institution

Date
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Professionalism is an essential aspect of nursing because it defines the nurse as a care

provider and an advocate of patients seeking health care. The concept of professionalism is

defined differently by individuals, but the core values required for an individual to be called a

nurse remain the same (Ghadirian et al. 2014). Nursing professionalism is a complex, dynamic

and an inevitable process making it necessary for research in the professionalism aspect of

nursing. I took an opportunity of the complex dynamics in the profession to interview my

colleague with the aim of knowing how he defines professionalism and the factors surrounding

his view of the nursing profession. Other aspects assessed during the interview included

stewardship, professional advocacy, and authenticity in nursing leadership.

Mr. V. Perez is a nurse who has worked in the maternity department for one year. I was

privileged to interview Mr. Perez on different aspects of professionalism. I started by asking his

role in the healthcare team providers, and he had the following to say. “I am a nurse, and my role

in the team is to provide holistic care to the patients,” said Perez. He continued to emphasize that

nursing is a profession that requires dedication and determination. He added that he is

determined to serve patients at all costs through collaboration with other healthcare team

members.

The second question concerned Mr. Perez’s definition of professionalism and how it

influences his work as a nurse. He defined professionalism as the state of adhering to standards

of practice, ethics, and rules to improve performance in nursing. Nursing is a profession that has

taken root a few years ago. To be a professional in nursing, one must have a positive attitude and

be ready to serve patients at all times (Ghadirian et al. 2014). Mr. Perez added that

professionalism influences his work as a nurse in many ways. It gives him a positive attitude to

work and to provide care to the patients at the same time earning him respect. Professionalism
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influences the appearance of the nurses, the willingness of working with others and the ability to

love nursing as a profession.

Stewardship in nursing is an area that has raised concerns in the field of nursing,

especially in the leadership roles. I asked Mr. Perez if he considers leaders in the organization as

stewards of health and he had the following to say. Nurse leaders hold the potential to bring

meaningful change in the nursing practice through courage, self-discipline, and collaboration. He

acknowledges that leaders are stewards of health and they must work hard to improve the

nursing environment through policymaking and organizational change. The leaders have the role

of listening to other staff members in the areas that need improvement, and they must use the

power given to drive the nursing profession to another level.

The last part discussed during the interview was advocacy, authenticity, and power in

nursing leadership. I asked Mr. Perez if it was important for the leaders to exercise the three

aspects of nursing and the response provided was positive. He explained that advocacy is an

aspect which promotes health care for the patients and it is influenced by power. Advocacy is

done through serving on committees and councils to solve the problems facing nursing and

promote care provision to the patients (Ghadirian et al. 2014). On the issue of power, Perez

explained that leaders must exercise power so that they can earn respect and have authority to

direct other nurses in the hospital. It is necessary to exercise power and authenticity to earn

respect and streamline the activities of other workers. The responses provided were impressive

and clear with each question covered well.

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References

Ghadirian, F., Salsali, M., & Cheraghi, M. A. (2014). Nursing professionalism: An

evolutionary concept analysis. Iranian Journal of Nursing and Midwifery Research, 19(1), 1–10.

Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3917177/