Nurses comprise the largest group of healthcare providers. Nurses are considered to be trusted patient advocates and caring, compassionate people. Patients and their family members often write letters of appreciation and enter comments on satisfaction surveys, such as “excellent nurses” and “nursing care was the best.” Many nurses have also received individual thanks, expressed in letters, notes and surveys. Hospitals endeavor to achieve Magnet Recognition, which heralds nursing excellence and indeed sends a positive message to nurses, hospitals and the public at large. This recognition is very meaningful and is not to be taken lightly. However, caring and advocacy should not be the only attributes used to describe the valuable contributions of nurses. Nursing excellence, quality patient outcomes, and exemplary professional practice are essential to enhance recognition and acknowledgment of the complex contributions of nursing. What nurses contribute and what they know require incredible skill, determination, competence and dedication. The value of nursing and nursing expertise is truly profound.
Nurses know that they make a difference and that patient outcomes correlate directly with nursing expertise and nursing care. However, individual nurses are often reluctant to use the powerful, positive message about nursing's essential contributions to raise their voices in discussions about the future of health care, to improve media portrayals of nurses, and to share their knowledge and expertise through publication.
Many nurse authors and nursing leaders actively work to raise the awareness and provide substantial information that promotes alternative, realistic scenarios of nurses acting, thinking and working professionally with responsibility and expert clinical decision-making skills. I do believe that nurses are willing to share their knowledge and expertise. Listen to nurses outside their work. If healthcare issues are discussed, nurses actively engage in such conversations with candor and self-assurance, even triaging symptoms. Nurses in academic settings are continuously assessing and teaching students and peers alike. Nurses who teach classes and serve on community/civic boards at local and national levels are advocating for the role of nursing. Nurses represent our profession while serving as active participants within nursing societies and in the legislative arenas. Nurses are routinely queried by friends, neighbors, and family members who seek information on medical and surgical issues. Nurses are visible and vocal in their comfort zone, within their communities.
I would challenge you to consider the idea, however, that oftentimes nurses do underplay the contributions of their critical thinking, and decision-making skills. Sharing the educational and scientific advances we have achieved in research initiatives and evidence-based practice truly does showcase our professional successes. These successes are still often not widely known, nor are they publicly evident, even within our profession.
The professional identity of nursing can improve, starting with each of us. Clinical knowledge and expertise can be highlighted, shared and articulated. The voice of nursing can be raised by any one nurse in numerous venues, and that voice can promote positive, meaningful dialogues about healthcare — individual patient care or global healthcare agendas and initiatives. Sharing how we assess patients, ascertain potential problems, and outline plans of care reveals a great deal about our professionalism, nursing work, high-level analytical skills, and expertise. We should communicate why our specialty is different, and enhance awareness of what makes our nursing expertise so unique and so important to effective health care.
Descriptions of clinical decision-making and critical-thinking scenarios tell a powerful story. Sharing the clinical knowledge and judgments that make definitive differences in patient outcomes is not only compelling but also necessary to grow our practice. The goal should be to demonstrate and validate the importance of our nursing expertise and care. Such stories are the cornerstone of journal articles, letters to the Editor, case studies and/or nursing exemplars. Writing about the work of nursing can improve the understanding of the significance and consequential nature of our work.
As a professional nurse, consider any opportunity to share your work regarding your patient care as a gift. There is so much that you know about disease prevention, health promotion and the care of patients. Embrace the opportunity to present your practice, learning scenarios and successes. Nursing is about caring, but also so much more. The contributions that all of us make are essential to patients' well-being and survival, and do require multiple intricate skills that lead to excellence in practice and quality patient outcomes. Share your stories with us. Grow our practice. I look forward to hearing from you!
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