Critically Exploring Professional Practice - Essay Example

Critically Exploring Professional Practice (Professional Biography) 2012-2013 CONTENTS CONTENTS 1 Introduction A critical professional biography is a document that presents the best possible representation of a person’s professional history, aspirations and abilities. It guides people through one’s professional career lane from the point of inspiration through the developments and accomplishments to future aspirations. Debra Wheatman refers to a professional biography as a product value statement in which case the product is the person the biography expresses. She says that the goal of the critical professional biography is to “provide an overview of your accomplishments and expand on the critical personality traits that set you apart” (Wheatman, n.d. Online). This biography will concentrate on my professional career from a past, present and future perspective. The critical analysis will focus around my professional practice as a Nurse and the developments, which I have taken progressively to improve my competence and professionalism. The analysis will focus on my professional career path from my inspiration to my present status and my future career goals. The details of my work and career development viewed against nursing models and established nursing competencies will demonstrate the authenticity and credibility of my career convictions and competencies. My Inspiration Every professional career drives through an inspirable action plan that contributes in its development. Simon Butler is quoted by Sue Heacock in her collection of ‘Stories of Nursing Inspiration’ to say that “Inspiration is never genuine if it is known as inspiration at the time. True inspiration always steals on a person, its importance not being fully recognized for some time.” (Heacock, 2012). I agree with Butler; my inspiration did not only drive me to join the nursing career, it has also evolved with time as the driving force that makes me to progressively advance and develop my competencies to become a worthwhile nurse. The seeds of my inspiration were grown when I lived in my village, in Saudi Arabia. At that time, I lived in an area, which experienced a large number of road traffic accidents (RTA). These TRA robbed me of my father at the tender age of seven years. The experience of his death as a result of deficient health care in the hospital that received him after the road accident influenced me towards this field. After the death of my father and while still at a young age, I started assisting the doctor and nurses at the primary health care centre in my village. I helped them particularly in treating RTA case since the healthcare centre had one doctor and two nurses only. Baillie (2007) advocates for treating of individuals with humanity, dignity and respect in line with the NHS constitution. However, As much as the nursing practice is founded in humanity, respect and dignity, this was not the case at my health centre. At the time of my voluntary serving period, I did not like the way patients were treated, like injured patient did not get an emergency services properly. Although at the time I did not have formal nursing training, I now realize that I employed the Roper–Logan–Tierney Model of Nursing. According to O’Connor (2002), this nursing model, widely used in the UK and Ireland, helps nurses to determine the care a patient needs by assessing his/her ability to perform 12 activities of living, “some of which are essential such as breathing and others which enhance the quality of life” (‘Roper–Logan–Tierney Model of Nursing’, Online). This kind of an assessment determines helps the nurse identify the level of a patient’s dependence or independence in performing those life activities and in return the nurse is able to identify his/her aims in giving care to the patient. Years of training has since enhanced my application of not only the Roper–Logan–Tierney Model of Nursing but also other nursing models like the Maslow hierarchy of needs and the Nightingale model. O’Connor suggests that, “When used correctly, a nursing model should give directions to nurses working in a particular area and it should help them understand more fully the logic behind their actions” (O’Connor, 2002, Online). More importantly, using a nursing model acts as a guide to the decisions a nurse makes. Nursing Competencies According to NMC (2010) there are four key areas of competencies – knowledge, skills and attitudes – that a nurse should have in order to practice effectively and efficiently. This are the standards used in pre-registration of nursing education. The areas include professional values, communication and interpersonal skills, nursing practice and decision making and leadership management and team working. Professional value competence involves an adherence to the code of conduct and ethics of nursing and midwifery practice as well as an understanding of the roles, responsibilities and functions of a nurse and taking the responsibility to perform them professionally. NMC describes communication and interpersonal skills competence as the ability for nurses to use excellent communication and interpersonal skills which calls for “safe, effective, compassionate and respectful communication” (NMC website, online). Communication and interpersonal skills competence demands an ability of the nurse to listen with empathy and in turn be able to respond positively and warmly to all people in different contexts. NMC describes the field standard for competence in the area of nursing practice and decision making as the ability to “carry out accurate assessment of people of all ages using appropriate diagnostic and decision-making skills” (NMC website, online). In this regard nurses are expected to “practise autonomously, compassionately, skilfully and safely, and must maintain dignity and promote health and wellbeing” (NMC website, online). Finally, competence in leadership, management and team working involves nurses being able to provide leadership in practicing and managing nursing care, being able to coordinate interprofessional care as well as liaising with specialist teams. NMC requires that; They must be adaptable and flexible, and able to take the lead in responding to the needs of people of all ages in a variety of circumstances, including situations where immediate or urgent care is needed. They must recognise their leadership role in disaster management, major incidents and public health emergencies, and respond appropriately according to their levels of competence. (NMC website, Online) The levels of competence in these major domains vary since they are determined by a person’s inspiration and convictions to nursing, level of training and experience. I have had different degrees of these competencies in my career path progressing subtle traces of each to a firm, conspicuous grip of all of them. My future career goals include the quest to have a firmer grip of competence in the areas of nursing practice and decision making as well as leadership, management and team working. My work and Development To be able to perform at an advance level of nursing practice has taken years of consistent inspiration, a resolve to develop and advance and taking the necessary steps in realizing my career aspirations. My professional education started from gaining a diploma in Nursing in 1998-2000. After completion, I moved to the city close to my village where I started practising as a nurse. My working experience includes 12 years in governmental health institutions under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health in my country (Saudi Arabia). Working for government health institutions for about 12 years has given me excellent experience in the many different areas in which I worked. First, I was officially appointed as a nursing technician in a primary health care centre form 2000- 2001, in the northern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a registered nurse in the dressing and observation department which deals with many patients who suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and asthma. This role helped me form a foundation in gaining competence in nursing practice and decision making. It is while working with these patients that I learnt the importance of communication in nursing practice. As Webb (n.d.) says nursing has moved from a task-oriented process to a therapeutic process since Nightgale’s time. Therapeutic nursing abilities like caring and comforting as well as developing a relationship between the nurse and the patient require good communication and interpersonal skills. Webb puts it aptly that “nursing in addition to applied knowledge and attitude, is underpinned essentially by good communication skills” (n.d., Online). As Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (2010) asserts, advancing one’s practice as a nurse in a bid to better care for people is a primary goal and an important development in nursing. I had a desire to advance my ability as a nurse to improve the outcome of the patients encountered. Therefore, after one year at my village health centre I applied to work in a larger hospital. Hence, I got my next job placement working for a general hospital in the city at the accident and emergency department. I worked as nursing technician in Accident & Emergency department for three years (from 2001 to 2004), in this department I learned many skills on how to receive and deal with emergency cases that need rapid intervention such as cases of road traffic accidents (RTA), various serious trauma like head injury or back trauma, burns cases, Myocardial Infarction (MI) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This role allowed me to gain experience and develop my practice significantly. In addition, I got an exposure to machines that I could not see elsewhere such as defibrillator, ventilator, and cardiac monitors. It was an extraordinarily good experience, and I learned a lot about time management, organisation and managing critical patients in emergency situations. Later, I felt I wanted more specialized area of care in which I could manage patients more closely. Subsequently, I moved into the intensive care unit (ICU) where I worked in the ICU ward for one year (2004-2005). The practice of care within the field of intensive care unit was different because of its criticalness and emergency needs. Intensive care unit not only deals with seriously injured patients, but also it is responsible for taking care of people suffering from serious illnesses such as brain haemorrhage or brain death , paralysis, geriatric patients suffering from malnutrition and general health deterioration among a variety of other situations. Therefore ICU patients require constant monitoring because most of the patients are at risk of different complications and majority of them on artificial ventilation machines. In addition, I saw various trends in health care future, and well trained nurses and doctors motivated to build a basic nursing foundation. They taught me to expand my knowledge in more than one type of learning such as knowledge, attitude and skills In relation to this, I undertook a three months critical training programme. While undertaking this training, I met colleagues who hold graduate degrees plus a myriad other professional skills. Interacting with them further motivated me to continue my education and improve my professional practice as a professional nurse. I tendered my application for sponsorship at The Ministry of Health which was successful. The sponsorship enabled me to take a Bachelors degree in Nursing at the University of Jordon from 2005 to 2007. Current Roles After the completion of my bachelor’s degree, I returned back to my country, where I worked as nursing specialist at a specialist hospital. Since I had a strong interest in working with patients who suffered from cardiovascular diseases, I subsequently moved into the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) where I worked in this for five years from (2007-2012). My roles as a nursing specialist in the CCU involved; 1. close observation The Coronary Care Unit is a facility with a highly skilled staff that offers nonstop best possible care for patients with potentially acute cardiac conditions (Meltzer, Pinneo, & Kitchell, 1983). The staffs in this department are responsible for providing close and continuous observation because the main attribute in coronary care unit is the constant observation of the cardiac rhythm by means of electrocardiography (ECG) or the existence of telemetry. As The College of Registered Nurses of British Columbia (CRNBC, 2006) asserts, patients in the coronary care units therefore require a lot of continuous care and high levels of professionalism. 2. Case Management In coronary care unit I learned the basics; reading of electrocardiography (ECG), analysis lethal rhythms like Ventricular fibrosis, Ventricular tachycardia, identifying hemodynamic ,brain function ,and types of shock as well as chest pain assessment , brain injuries like stroke, respiratory assessment, post operative pneumonia, blood transfusion reaction cranial nerve assessment, insulin reaction. Also, I have taken many certificates in a basic and advance cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in higher cardiac centres in my country. 3. Drugs and fluids administration This is a careful procedure in nursing practise which takes specialised care to administer. 4. Orientation program for new staff I have started to get more involved within a leadership and management role. This allows me to put my skills in practice as I take care of the junior staff and their professional development from a development perspective. This has allowed me to consequently take the role of a Senior Nursing Specialist in my hospital which has in turn allowed me to develop within this field. 5. Excellent communication My communication responsibility has entailed building good rapport and relationships with the patients, staff and other stakeholders involved in providing healthcare at CCU. It also involves direct nursing care, orientation of new nurses as well as providing information to health care teams members about the patient. Present and Future Developments After five years of the work in CCU I realised the need of scientific knowledge and skills that can build a building block for my future development. Therefore, I applied to the Ministry of health for sponsorship of further professional studies. My application was successful and now I am in the process of studying a master’s degree in general nursing science in England. This programme mainly accounts for the expansion of my knowledge, competencies and critical engagement in the care of multiple groups in nursing community. This will help me to sharpen my analytical and critical thinking in order to develop knowledge and skills that help in assuming the role of a public health nurse. In addition, it will also help me in enhancing my career prospects by providing a building block of self-directed learning (NMC, 2010). As earlier stated, the UK NMC has set standards of pre-registration nursing education. Throughout my working years, I have learnt to appreciate the nursing professional values. It is to my advantage that I have had international training and exposure to nursing training and practice. The American Nurses Association describe an advanced practice registered nurse as a nurse who “manifests a high level of expertise in assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of complex responses of individuals, families, or communities to actual or potential health problem, prevention of illness and injury, maintenance of wellness and provision of comfort” (1995, p. 2). This description is in line with the requirement of professional values in the NMC guidelines. Self Analysis This analysis uses a SWOT analysis adopted from www.businessball.com. I evaluate my abilities in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Among the key strengths that I am endowed with include good practical skills, an ability to learn, self-motivation, ability to respect and work well with colleagues and most importantly a wealth of experience and professional training. However, a limited proficiency in English language, ‘still-to-be-polished’ research skills, as well as under-developed leadership and management skills are some of the weaknesses I have identified. Nevertheless, I have made positive steps in dealing with those weaknesses. The opportunities I could exploit include the availability of learning resources, getting scholarships for further personal and career development as well and the increasing for professional nurses. In spite this my career faces the threat of a lack of decision making autonomy in nursing at my home country and also the lack of nurses with higher education in my home country. This SWOT analysis has helped me to plan ahead and understand the areas I need to focus on. Action Plan The University of Kent web, explains that action planning is useful in helping a person to focus on his/her individual ideas and to decide the steps needed towards the achievement of goals. O’Neal and Manley (2007) further emphasises that action planning is important key to achieving change in practice. My action plan for future development will focus on developing into a leader who will formulate training schedules for junior staff which will require the staff to keep their skills up-to-date. Ultimately, this will help in improving the health care of any hospital I will find myself working in. I plan to take five basic steps. First, I will develop the ability to critically evaluate my previous professional practice and pick areas of competence that will help me achieve my goals. Secondly, I will engage in formulating training plans for junior nurses. Thirdly, I will put effort in improving nursing care services in my workplace. Fourthly, in partnerships with my colleagues, I will seek to improve the quality of policies and procedures in nursing within my area. Finally, I will engage in training and development of leadership and management which will demand the role of a decision maker. Mantzoukas and Watkinson (2007) study found out that the generic features in ANP include use of knowledge in practice, critical thinking and analytical skills, clinical judgement and decision-making skills, professional leadership and clinical inquiry, coaching and mentoring skills, research skills and changing of practice. My action plan puts these important findings in perspective. My short-term goal is to improve my professional skills particularly in Advance Nursing Practice (ANP) and Leadership Management by 2013. My medium-term goal is the achievement of MSC in Nursing (General Nursing) to support my experience and maintain professional confidence by 2013. Finally, my long-term goal is to achieve higher position in my career and improve my financial status while providing care and giving hope to the community and the society at large within the next five years. Conclusion I started with basics and moved towards the higher position that reflects my knowledge foundation in nursing practices. My experience as a nursing technician, assistant in accidents and emergency department, intensive care unit and cardiac care unit made me a specialist of diversified health care services. This experience not only helped me in gaining diverse knowledge, but also provided me an insight for my future development needs. I am now committed to my action plan and achieving the goals I have set in my professional career. References American Nursing Association (ANA), 1995. Nursing’s Social Policy Statement. American Nurses Association, Washington DC, USA. Anderson, L. 2012. Nurse Leadership versus Management. [Online]. 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