The concept of nurses as advocates within the healthcare system has not changed but the techniques and practices associated with patient advocacy are continuously advancing; there is already an extensive range of existing nursing definitions of patient advocacy (Wellard, 2014). In general, the nurse in the healthcare team is the member with the greatest therapeutic communication, contact and relationship with patients; putting them in an optimal position to utilize their advocacy skills to facilitate contact between the patient and family members and other health care professionals and departments (University Alliance, 2015). Additionally, by pursuing a career in nursing it means fulfilling many roles, such as educator, caregiver, interpreter,
Advocate-Seeks ways to meet identified patient and community needs Agent of Change- Coordinates activities to bring about positive changes in the health care system Clinician- Brings advanced clinical judgement to the bedside Collaborator- Works as part of interdisciplinary team to improve patient, community, and system outcomes Leader- Supervises individuals and groups in developing and implementing processes to improve the delivery of care. Researcher-Identifies and investigates clinical problems to advance nursing knowledge
The first individual right under the health care system is "rights related to receiving services provided under healthcare, health financing, or health insurance laws. An example of this right is the Patient Self Determination Act. This act is a federal law that requires health care organizations, such as hospitals and nursing homes to provide information on advance directives, must ask you whether you have an advance directive, and provide information of your rights under state law, such as the right to refuse treatment. This law ensures that a patient 's right to self-determination in health care decisions is communicated.
The feeling of being able to alleviate the suffering of an acutely ill patient is at once incredibly satisfying and immensely humbling. I am constantly in awe of the fact that by coming to work everyday, I have the privilege of helping others who cannot care for themselves. During my time in my Clinical Care Extender Internship, I developed a special interest in caring for the geriatric population and have had the opportunity of serving as a personal caregiver to an elderly woman with dementia. I do not take the trust and confidence that my patient places in me lightly and work hard to advocate and provide for her safety because she deserves no less. Thus, in the interest of patient advocacy, as a nurse in your facility, I will seek to improve the practices that will keep my patients safe and promote their healing.
The current healthcare reform movement is calling for health institutions to evaluate and redesign the historical approach to healthcare in order to reduce costs and improve outcomes for the population. Unfortunately, “the health sector itself has little or no direct control over most of the underlying conditions required for health” (Braveman & Gruskin, 2003, p. 541). These underlying conditions can best be described as the social determinants of health (SDH) defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work [and] age,”. The Ottawa Charter (1986) further defined the prerequisites for health a bit more clearly as peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable eco-system, sustainable
Each morning patients came in for assessment and the treatment team developed or altered existing treatment protocols. I longed to be part of this team, working to stabilize each patient so they could return home to pursue their goals. The nurses stood out to me as the team members at ground zero in the unit, working directly with patients, and advocating for them in meetings. As a Nurse Practitioner, I will provide this same standard of holistic care to my patients, taking into consideration their biological, social, psychological and cultural needs while developing and implementing treatment decisions.
I am passionate about advocacy. As a nurse and officer, I must often advocate for my patients and the soldiers who serve under my leadership because I recognize keeping them at the center will improve overall outcomes, satisfaction and morale. Despite the challenges and push back I may encounter as an advocate, it is my responsibility to the patient and soldier. The competencies acquired with this specialty will mature my advocacy. Additionally, I will be
To be impartial means to be fair and unbiased. As a health advocate it is important to be impartial because the job puts individuals in a position to speak up for a large community. Therefore, it is important to make sure a health advocates personal views do not largely affect the message being delivered because it is their job to present information based on effective research, so the message delivered is meaningful and reliable. Being impartial as a health advocate involves understanding and working well with the opposing team that is not in agreement with the message that is being delivered. Additionally, it is important to treat the opposing team fairly so there can be an understanding of what needs to be accomplished as a health advocate
Nursing is an age old profession of compassion, encouragement, and support to the injured. With the development of learned abilities nurses are able to heal by easing suffering, treatment, and encouragement of the care of people, families, communities, and populations. Professional nursing roles entail practices based on evidence that are defensive, recuperative, and promotive when focusing on a holistic manner. Developing professional roles of nurses are highly recognized and nurtured. A nurse plays an essential role in the healthcare system.
Nurses have an important role in the political process because they can offer their experience and knowledge to current healthcare issues. They can affect the political arena by actively participating in lobbying and creating an awareness for their cause. In addition, nurses play a role in patient advocators, so it is only natural for them to become involved in the political process. In the following discussion, meaning of a lobbyist and advocate will be defined as well as the similarities and differences and how it is related to the organization I chose with regards whether it advocates or a lobbyist.
Nursing has never been simple or easy, nor is serving as a patient advocate. However, it is important to include advocacy as a part of nursing. Advocacy is standing up for the rights of all individuals and must include interpersonal relationships between nurses, patients, professional colleagues, and the public. Nightingale’s experiences in nursing demonstrated to her the value of advocating for nurses and patients.
In my healthcare assistant role, I collaborate with independent advocates to identify signs of vulnerability or mistreatment, report concerns, and advocate for appropriate interventions and support. Additionally, an independent advocate assists patients in navigating the complex healthcare system. They provide guidance on accessing services, understanding healthcare policies and procedures, and resolving any issues or complaints that may arise. By supporting patients in navigating administrative processes and advocating for their needs, independent advocates help to reduce barriers and improve the overall patient
Many nurses do not get involved in health care policy even though the nurse should. Most nurses do not know much about health care policies, some view it as “foreign and complex” (Falk, 2014, p. 203). I consider myself one of the nurses that do not know much about health care policy and I am one of the nurses that do not get involved in health care policy. I do not get involved with health care policy because I was never taught about it, so I do not want to get involved in something that I do not know much about. I look forward to learn more about health policies and becoming more involved in health policies.
The Joint Commission in 2011 also described a clear and safe communication as timely, accurate, and usable (Arnold, et al., p.23). This positive quality of communication is evident in the interaction of Shona and the nurse, as the nurse asked Shona “Can you explain that further?” in regards to the situation that Shona is feeling — from this, the nurse is trying to understand Shona’s condition as she assesses the situation. In a nursing process, communication standards and skills are an integral component of knowledge (Arnold, et al., p.29) that allows nurses to understand a patient’s condition, thus, provide compassion and respect for their patients. This is evident in the nurse’s intervention to Shona’s struggles as she encouraged Shona to not to think about her conflicts and focus on happy things like her children— which shows empathy and
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP It is important to appreciate that leadership roles are different from management functions. In Stephen Covey’s (1999) book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, he quoted Peter Drucker as saying: ‘Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things. Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership is about determining whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.’ This suggests that management is about tasks, whereas leadership is about perception, judgement, skill and philosophy.
Being formed in 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights helps recognize “the inherent dignity” and the “equal and unalienable rights of all members of the human family”. Based on this very concept of the person, and the fundamental dignity and equality of all human beings, that the notion of patient rights was developed. Patient rights involve those basic rules of conduct between patients and medical caregivers as well as the institutions and people that support them. A patient is anyone who has requested to be evaluated by or who is being evaluated by any healthcare professional.