NUR117 Nursing Standards Of Practice

Assignment 3: Reflection on two Registered Nurse Standards of Practice

Answer

Importance of nursing standards of practice

The nursing standards of practice were introduced to help in harmonizing and standardizing the nursing service delivery to the clients in Australia. These standards ensure that the services provided by nurses are of good quality. When these health standards are applied in the work place, they help nurses to improve their working capabilities.  The nursing standards of practice also helps in guiding the recipients on their right and responsibilities when receiving health care services. It is essential for registered nurses to fully understand the standards of practice in order to ensure that they provide the service according to the requirement of these standards. Applying the standards in their daily activities will also help in minimizing the liability that may accrue to nurses if they breach these standards of practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia has set the nursing standards to be observed by all nurses in their routine practices. These standards help to harmonize the practices of nurses across the health care sector as the provide services to the patients. The two standards to be discussed are standard number 1 critical thinking skills and standard three maintaining capacity for practice. The nursing standard of practice are interrelated, and they are inseparable that is application of one standard in nursing practice cannot be termed as complete compliance unless other standards have also been followed. Registered nurses are universally obliged to strictly follow the set standards of practice in carrying out of their duties to ensure that quality health care services are given to the clients.      

Standard 1, Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice

Critical thinking is a mental process that entails analysis, synthesis, and assessment of information during a nursing practice. Critical thinking is useful to nurses during the process of making decisions and solving patients’ problems. Critical thinking and analyses are very important processes that ensures that nursing interventions are skillful and efficient (Dang & Dearholt, 2017). Nursing practice requires health practitioners to show sound judgement and skills of making decisions because decision making and critical thinking are important aspects of nursing practice. The ability of a nurse to understand and respond to deterioration signs of a patient in time plays a vital role in patients’ health outcomes. Making errors in decisions and judgement are the causes of antagonistic clinical events (O’connell, Gardner & Coyer, 2014).

Nurses apply critical thinking in the process of making decisions to solve patients’ problems creatively to influence the outcomes. It is an important process for an efficient, skillful and safe nursing intervention. Critical thinking assists registered nurses to come up with new and reasonable ideas fast to implement in the course of their work. Nurses are also able to generate original and considerable solutions to the challenges, face situations confidently and independently when providing health care service to the patients (Chan, 2013).

The registered nurses can demonstrate the standard of critical thinking in several ways. Registered nurse should develop clear practices by way of reflection on knowledge, feelings, experience, beliefs, and experiences to identify how they influence their practices. It can be done through building professional relationships with fellow workers and the patients, involving a care plan review, and growing confidence while conversing with the patients (Stuart, 2014). The nurse needs to maintain timely, comprehensive and accurate documentation of plans, assessments, actions, decision making, and evaluations. It can be simply done through improving knowledge of medication, skills on clinical care and monitoring of patients, demonstrating initiative in nursing interventions and involving others in decision-making process. Registered nurse should also access, critically analyze and utilize the best evidence available, which include study findings for quality practice and safety. It can be best done through proper interactions with the patients, identification of drug use indicators and effective management of time and skills prioritization (Lunney, 2013).

Nurses needs to comply with policies, regulations, guidelines, legislations among other standards which are relevant to their line of duty and practice. It can be possible if nurses understand their roles in the area of operation, they are responsible and accountable, have active listening skills and can complete patient assessment (Maurer & Smith, 2013).  The nurses also need to use ethically established frameworks in decision making and continuously improve the quality of research that is relevant to their nursing practice. It may be done through effective and efficient documentation of research reports, critical thinking in problem solving, in-depth communication skills and building a professional relationship in workplace. Finally, registered nurses should respect all cultures through respecting the role of community and family in health care provision. It can be implemented through engaging patient and family members in decision making concerning treatment of the patient, monitoring the clinical care provision to the patient and providing patient-centered health care plan. The nurses should ensure that they adhere to this standard in order to carry out their duties effectively (Grove, Burns & Gray, 2012).

Standard 3, maintaining capability for practice

Registered nurses need to possess the required capabilities for their nursing practice. They are required to have necessary capabilities to be able to carry out their duties and responsibilities well. The most important thing in this standard is the nurse’s ability to manage his activities and respond positively to any concern related to other healthcare practitioners. Nurses develop their capability for practice by working to gain experience and also by helping others to grow. Nurses are required to obtain information and education that is relevant in their line of work. They should also aim at making right decision and taking suitable action on the health status of patient (Gill, Leslie, Grech & Latour, 2012).

Nurses should determine and promote the important function of nursing and professional practice influencing the quality of services to the patients. Nurses can achieve this practice by seeking more knowledge on medication, managing time efficiently, monitoring clinical care for patients and straitening the interrelationships between nurses and patients. One of the key duties of registered nurses is to provide relevant information and education to patients to help improve patients control over their health affairs. Nurses should inform their patients on how to improve their health as they provide the health care service to them. This practice is essential because if nurses keep the patients informed of methods and medication to improve their health status, patients can monitor their progress without requiring the service of healthcare provider (McSHERRY, Pearce, Grimwood & McSherry, 2012).

Registered nurses needs to understand that they are responsible for their behaviors, decisions and any action in workplace. This is necessary because it will assist the nurses to be keen on any activity they undertake. Nursing standards of practice are essential to the nurses especially when they are performing their duty as well as when they delegate the responsibilities to their colleagues because it outlines what is required and sets the limits on their roles. Nurses can improve their capability for practice and maintain this standard by using learning approach and actively engaging with other professionals (Whitehead, LoBiondo-Wood & Haber, 2012).

Conclusion

The standards of nursing practice establishes the basis for quality healthcare service delivery to the patients. The standards set guidelines for which performance of nurses can be measure against their actual performance. The most crucial purpose of nursing standards is creating and maintain a safe and competence nursing practice. Nursing standards are used in coming up with a structure for assessments of nurses’ performance.  If nurses breach the standards of practice, they face consequences that occur after that as provided in the law. In light of the above, it is necessary for the nurses to follow the standards properly when carrying out their duties.

References

Chan, Z. C. (2013). A systematic review of critical thinking in nursing education. Nurse Education Today, 33(3), 236-240.

Dang, D., & Dearholt, S. L. (2017). Johns Hopkins nursing evidence-based practice: Model and guidelines. Sigma Theta Tau.

Gill, F. J., Leslie, G. D., Grech, C., & Latour, J. M. (2012). A review of critical care nursing staffing, education and practice standards. Australian Critical Care, 25(4), 224-237.

Grove, S. K., Burns, N., & Gray, J. (2012). The practice of nursing research: Appraisal, synthesis, and generation of evidence. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Lunney, M. (Ed.). (2013). Critical thinking to achieve positive health outcomes: Nursing case studies and analyses. John Wiley & Sons.

Maurer, F. A., & Smith, C. M. (2013). Community/public health nursing practice: Health for families and populations. Elsevier Health Sciences.

McSHERRY, R. O. B. E. R. T., Pearce, P., Grimwood, K., & McSherry, W. (2012). The pivotal role of nurse managers, leaders and educators in enabling excellence in nursing care. Journal of Nursing Management, 20(1), 7-19.

O’connell, J., Gardner, G., & Coyer, F. (2014). Beyond competencies: using a capability framework in developing practice standards for advanced practice nursing. Journal of advanced nursing, 70(12), 2728-2735.

Stuart, G. W. (2014). Principles and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing-E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Whitehead, D., LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2012). Nursing and midwifery research: Methods and critical appraisal for evidence-based practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.