Meaning Of Professionalism In Nursing

Professionalism is the skill set that society expects from a professional. For a nurse, professionalism is not merely knowing how to take someone’s temperature or how to administer medication. It goes beyond that and consists, not only of job competence, but also includes personal and ethical dimensions. Professionalism requires job knowledge, accountability, advocacy, communication, and ethical decision making. Knowledge is the foundation of professionalism, but accountability establishes trust in the profession. Davis (2017) defines accountability as being “answerable to oneself and others for one 's own actions.” This means that when a nurse engages in an activity on the job, she/he will be responsible for the outcome and might suffer negative consequences if her/his actions are careless or reflect poor judgement. Accountability provides a motivation for all professionals to perform well. Most people who are passionate about their profession have an internal desire to perform well, but accountability to one’s colleagues and patients provides an important external motivator to perform well. Nursing is unique as a profession because a nurse is in a position of authority and care over patients. Nurses decision could have serious consequences on the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of clients. Because of this, a nurse must be a representative of their patients. Nurses must learn the causes of a patient’s pain and suffering and be willing to