Creating Your Professional Identity
In nursing, professional identity is a sense of oneself and the relationship with others that are influenced by different characteristics, norms, and values in the nursing industry. Every nurse may have different attributes that shape their professional identity, but they should involve the ability to work on the improvement of themselves, the workplace, and patient outcomes (Goodyear, 2021).
Some of the most important professional identity characteristics/attributes are accountability, advocacy, autonomy, caring, competence, commitment, compassion, responsibility, integrity, and altruism. Being accountable in nursing includes moral principles of fidelity, loyal, beneficence, and respect for our patients. It also means that we need to adhere to the standers and scope of practice in nursing. Nurses need to be accountable for the decisions they make and what actions they take (ANA, 2015). I will adopt accountability in the clinical setting by being accountable for my actions. If I make a mistake, I will own up to it and make it right. This helps me learn and grow in my nursing skills and as a person. I am accountable for the decisions I make and will always accept responsibility for my actions. Advocacy in nursing means that we need to constantly support or recommend a course of action that benefits our clients. Being an advocate can also involve speaking up for a community, district, or the entire population. The goal is to preserve human dignity and promote patient outcomes (ANA, 2015). I will adopt advocacy in the clinical setting by being an advocate for my patients and the workplace. I will advocate for my patients through client education on their diagnoses, treatment, and interventions. Also, I will let my patients make decisions freely while adhering to their values, culture, beliefs, and preferences that they may have. In the workplace, I will be an advocate for inappropriate policies or rules and help facilitate access to healthcare in different communities. Autonomy in nursing means understanding that patients have a right to determine what is done to their own person. We need to provide accurate and complete information that will aid in the patient’s informed decision, but it is up to the individual to ultimately decide what they want or what they don’t want. At any time during their care, they have the right to accept, refuse, or terminate their treatment (ANA, 2015). I will adopt autonomy in the clinical setting by making sure I am always doing my part by providing patients with accurate information and education.
Doing this will help the patients make an informed decision on their treatment. Once they make their decision, I will respect, protect, and support whatever they choose because it is their right. Caring in nursing means promoting health, healing, and the hope of a positive response to the condition of the patient (“Mission goal,” n.d.). I will adopt caring in the clinical setting by making sure I will always aim to protect, improve, and preserve my patient’s human dignity.
When I provide care, I will include the patient’s values and promote their health and well-being. My goal will always be to provide healing, interventions, and treatments that improve my patient’s outcomes. Competence in nursing means you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities in the nursing field that are necessary for our scope of practice (“NMNEC,” n.d.). I will adopt competence in the clinical setting by making sure I have gained the knowledge, skills, and abilities to work in the nursing field. With these skills that I have acquired, I can make ethical and effective decisions that benefit the patient. Just because I have gained these skills, that doesn’t mean that I am done learning. I need to continue my education and constantly acquire new information and skills to continue to grow as a nurse. Commitment to nursing means that you have a dedication to the nursing profession and your patients (“NMNEC,” n.d.). I will adopt commitment in the clinical setting by committing to the nursing profession and my patients. I am loyal to this field and have a sense of responsibility for the problems and challenges that arise in this profession. I want to help change things for the better in the profession and help find solutions to the problems we have. Also, I am committed to providing optimal patient care and will always continue to grow and learn to better myself in this profession. Compassion in nursing means that we have an awareness of patient suffering and we have a desire to relieve that suffering. When doing that, we combine sympathy, empathy, caring, and mercy. Cognitive and psychomotor skills are used together to aid in meeting the patient’s needs to help heal (ANA, 2015). I will adopt compassion in the clinical setting by making sure I am an empathetic and caring person. I never want to see anyone suffer whether it be from emotional or physical distress. I will always have a desire to help relieve patient suffering and do anything I can to help. Responsibility in nursing means that we must perform to the level that is within our education and that is compliant with the laws and standards of our scope of practice. Also, when performing independently, we can make decisions knowing that we are responsible for the actions we take (ANA, 2015). I will adopt responsibility in the clinical setting by making sure I always take responsibility for my actions. Also, I will make sure I am performing in compliance with the laws and standards of my scope of practice. Integrity in nursing means being honest and morally consistent. That means that we need to be consistent with our values, beliefs, knowledge, commitments, and obligations. This requires individuals to self-reflect and determine what their values, commitments, and beliefs are (ANA, 2015). I will adopt integrity in the clinical setting by making sure I am always honest and morally consistent. If I was in the hospital, I wouldn’t want my healthcare team to lie to me, so I would never lie to a patient. I am consistent with my values, beliefs, knowledge, commitment, and obligations in my field. I have no problem asking for help or assistance if I need it and being honest if I don’t know how to do something or if I don’t understand. I take my degree very seriously because I know people’s lives are in my hands.
Altruism in nursing means that you have a selfless concern for the well-being of others. This concern then motivates you to action (ANA, 2015). I will adopt altruism in the clinical setting by making sure I am always concerned for others. I never want anyone to suffer or be hurt. I am constantly helping those around me and have a desire to make people feel better. I will act accordingly in the interest of the patients and not myself.
Throughout my educational journey, I have learned and gained a lot of knowledge and understanding that has shaped my professional identity. I have gained new knowledge of emotional intelligence, critical thinking, communication skills, professionalism, and dedication to excellence. I have gained emotional intelligence by helping my peers and giving different strategies to help them through stressors they might be experiencing and with my patients in the clinical settings. I have gained critical thinking skills by using what I have learned in school and applying them in the clinical setting. I have gained communication skills by learning about different communication strategies and how to properly use therapeutic communication with my patients. I have gained professionalism by becoming a competent and confident nurse and leader who represents the nursing field. Lastly, I have gained a dedication to excellence by having a commitment and passion for caregiving. I have a dedication to excellence that helps promote patient satisfaction and outcomes. Some of the goals I have for continuing my professional identity formation during my career as a nurse is to never stop learning. I love learning about nursing and the medical field, and I know that education never stops. I want to enhance the knowledge and skills that I have gained and learn new skills to help me become a better nurse. There is always room for growth, and it is my goal to never stop.
References
American Nurses Association. (2015). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. Silver Spring, Maryland: American Nurses Association.
Goodyear, C. (2021). Fostering nurses’ professional identity: Nursing management. LWW. Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://journals.lww.com/nursingmanagement/Fulltext/2021/06000/Fostering_nurses pr ofessional_identity.14.aspx
NMNEC concept: Professional identity. (n.d.). Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://www.nmnec.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Professional- Identity.rev01.17.19.-Final-Ed-Version.pdf
Mission-goal. Default. (n.d.). Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://www.nln.org/membership/nlncommunity/constituent- leagues/membership constituents-league district-of-columbia- maryland/membership constituents-league district-of-Columbia- Maryland membership/membership constituents-leagues district-of-Columbia- Maryland about-us/mission-goal-864bc25c-7836-6c70-9642-ff00005f0421
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Question 
Creating Your Professional Identity
Competency
Determine the attributes that help form the professional nurses’ identity.
Apply principles of professional identity and professionalism.
Creating Your Professional Identity
Scenario
As a nursing student, you have a vision of your core values and expectations as a professional nurse. In this assignment, create a plan to guide you as you form your professional identity.
Instructions
This formation will include the following:
Describe the meaning of nursing professionalism identity
Identify the most important professional identity characteristics/attributes
Explain how you will adapt these characteristics/attributes in the clinical setting
Reflect on your educational journey and describe how this shaped your professional identity.
Create your goals for continued professional identity formation during your career as a nurse.
Provide stated ideas with professional language and attribution for credible sources with correct APA citation, spelling, and grammar.