Rough Draft Nursing Manifesto

Ashley Berta

Professor Oberlin

Intermediate Composition

29 September 2011

Nursing Manifesto

            Undoubtedly, everyone knows that the ER gets busy, especially in the evening. In this situation, a young woman comes into the emergency room complaining of shortness of breath, tightness in her chest, extreme pain, and nausea. These are common symptoms that can be linked to many illnesses, but in a girl who is nineteen, it is not so normal. This girl was in fact me. Once I got into a room, my family was to wait outside so that the nurse could interview me and assess my state. We discussed personal things, medical issues, and family history. Consequently, age is an important factor when it comes to the medical field. Once you are considered an adult precautions are then taken. Furthermore, privacy and confidentiality is essential because it protects the patient. This was just one instance that privacy was practiced. Also, the care being provided should be patient centered. While family is important they should not be influencing the patient into any decisions. It is the nurse’s job to teach and guide them into to making the decisions best for them. These are just some of the principles that guide a practicing nurse. Lastly, someone that knew alot about nursing was Florence Nightingale. She is the most well known nurse in the history of nursing. Moreover, she created expectations for education by creating her own nursing school. Also, she was an advocate for changing nursing conditions and to improve the quality of care provided. All of these things later brought nursing the respect it deserved. In closing, Florence Nightingale once said, “No man, not even a doctor, ever gives any other definition of what a nurse should be than this - 'devoted and obedient'. This definition would do just as well for a porter. It might even do for a horse. It would not do for a policeman” (qtd. in ThinkExist.com). Nursing can be described in so many ways, but in this case, the definition is too simply. They possess so many characteristics, such as, caring, compassionate, critical thinker, reliable, and smart. Generally speaking, a nurse cannot be described in just two words.     

            Firstly, great care is the most important principle. Everything a nurse does is to take care of their patient, making it patient-centered field. Moreover, all the tests, labs, and procedures they do are to figure out what is going on. Everything they do should be in the best interest of the patient. Furthermore, they want to make their patients as comfortable as possible. For example, my nurse called the doctor to get me some medication to take care of the pain. In my case, I was put on two Percocets every 4 hours as needed. After she made me comfortable the tests began. I had a cat scan with contrast. The radiologist and pulmonologist looked at my scan and found blood clots in both lungs. This was the reason for all the symptoms, especially all the pain. In addition, listening is an essential tool in providing great care. The nurse must take a patients’ complaints seriously. A nurse’s patient will give them more information than anyone else because they are the one going through this. So it is important to listen and validate what they are explaining. Lastly, to provide great care a nurse must focus on the patient and advocate for them. A patient will look to a nurse for some support because they are so vulnerable. In addition, they must provide the patient with information, which could mean teaching them things they do not know, so that they can make an informed decision. Great care is almost impossible to describe because there are so many things that go into it. It is the most important component of nursing; a nurse should strive for this everyday.

            Next, privacy and confidentiality are important principles as well.  Congress has created laws and forms to correspond to these principles. For example, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), is a form that some may be familiar with. It is a form that must be signed when you go into any doctor’s office, hospital, etc. Furthermore, this act is quite complex, but it does include a privacy and confidentiality rule. HIPAA protects patients’ records from being leaked out to anyone or any entity, unless permission is given. In my example, in the first paragraph, my parents were to wait outside because the nurse was protecting my right to privacy. Although, my parents know everything that is going on, the nurse still had to ask them to wait outside because I am over the age of eighteen. On the other hand, there is a paper that you can fill out and sign to release your information only to those people you indicate. In my case, I released my information to both my mother and father just in case they needed it for anything, like insurance purposes. In addition, have you ever heard of doctor-patient confidentiality? A doctor cannot talk about a patient with others, including family, unless otherwise permitted. Moreover, a nurse is held to the same standard. For example, they can’t gossip about a patient during their lunch break. Although, people do break these rules, there are serious consequences if caught. Legally a patient could take them to court over this matter. Finally, privacy and confidentiality is a serious matter and is essential in healthcare. The patient is what matters most. And for one this is why the nurse will present you with the HIPAA form because they want you to be protected.

            And finally, the last principle is education. Education is vital. Undoubtedly, nursing programs are rigorous. They are composed of many things, such as, clinicals, lectures, and exams. Once a nurse graduates they are still required to take the NCLEX, which is the exam for their licensure. Admittedly, just because a nurse graduates from college does not mean they are automatically a nurse. The NCLEX is necessary to be a practicing nurse. Furthermore, this exam is comprised of everything that could have been discussed during your program. At this level, nothing is off limits. So far, in my experience, there is alot to know when studying to be a nurse. For example, a student must know all the bones and muscles, which is just a small component of the knowledge need for this career. A nurse will become the teacher. They will be teaching the patient and family by providing them with information, suggestions, and previous knowledge. Unquestionably, the education a nurse receives will be crucial. They will not only be teaching what they know, but they will be using it at every second of the day. I don’t think I can really express how important education is; it is everything in this case.

            In conclusion, nursing is an important field. For example, a person’s life is not taken lightly, like in my example in the first paragraph. My symptoms were not normal for someone my age. Furthermore, when a blood clot passes through the lungs it must go through the heart first. Any one of those blood clots could have stopped my heart. If it wasn’t for the doctors and nurses knowledge and assessment I might not be here today. On the other hand, their knowledge wasn’t the only thing to get me through it, but rather the great care they provided me. Also, the privacy, support, care, and knowledge of the nurses made me feel at ease with the whole situation. In general, these three principles are going to save lives. Our patient is the reason we are a nurse, but without these principles we cannot be the best nurse that a client needs. In closing, I would like to leave you with another quote by Florence Nightingale, “Apprehension, uncertainty, waiting, expectation, fear of surprise, do a patient more harm than any exertion” (qtd. in ThinkExist.com).

Works Cited

ThinkExist.com Quotations. “Florence Nightingale quotes”. ThinkExist.com Quotations Online    1 Aug. 2011. 30 Sep. 2011 http://en.thinkexist.com/quotes/florence_nightingale/