Introduction
In view of a considerable increase in demand for nursing professionalism, its level can be determined by many factors. Students have to be aware of the ways the existing relation between educational preparation and nursing professionalism can be interpreted, mainly that the educational process develops the nurse as a professional. As a result, given that a nurse manager is a critical figure in the field, nurse managers’ professionalism is a factor that cannot be neglected or misunderstood.
The Importance of Nursing Professionalism
Nursing professionalism may be defined in terms of their self-identified professional behaviors and in terms of a hospital or any other specialized organization where nurses have to work. Considering the benefits of inpatient care and hospital organization that professional development of nurses brings, it is necessary to clarify the aspects of behavior and personal qualities that have to be improved at the initial stages of development. A nurse develops a professional self-concept, that is, the way they see themselves in the field of nursing (Hood, 2014, p. 13).
The self-concept is developed mainly in relation to some authorities, other people that can share their knowledge and constructive critique. As the scope of experience expands, nurses regard themselves as to the role they have to perform, mainly helping, coaching, monitoring, etc. (Hood, 2014, p. 15). As to the education and workplace experience, they are discussed as factors that provide an experience which has a positive association with nursing professionalism; it is worth mentioning that the difference of the value of these two factors is practically non-significant (Tanaka, Taketomi, Yonemitsu, & Kawamoto, 2016). As nurses advance their career, they are able to rely on experience, that is, develop deductive and inductive thinking as opposed to reliance on empirical evidence, and assess their capabilities in connection with the roles they perform.
The professionalism of Nurse Managers
It is possible to speak of two kinds of professionalisms: the nurses and the nurse managers’. The goals that the latter have to accomplish are nurse practitioners’ performance improvement and workplace experiences adjustment, which is why the criticality of a professional manager is undebatable. The factors determining a nurse manager’s professionalism are in correspondence with that of practitioners, mainly education and experience level, role-recognition, and other behavioral factors. What is more, a nurse manager is a leading figure for the nurses. As a consequence, a manager should be not only regarded as a leader but to be one as well. They have to gain an insightful vision of the nurses’ individual capabilities, which might imply that a manager has to have nursing experience and education.
Also, it is crucial that a manager develops an emotionally intelligent attitude to the nurses they manage, which is sufficient in workplace experience improvement and, consequently, in boosting the nurses’ professionalism. It is stated that “years of experience as a nurse and educational preparation were the most influential factors for nursing professionalism” (Tanaka et al., 2015, p. 17). Thus, a professional manager should consider developing the nurses’ professionalism by the means that they possess. Such conduct might include providing the nurses with opportunities for further personal and professional development and education, an environment of encouragement, and performance recognition. As a result, the nurse manager can make a difference in the nurses’ professionalism, which is why the manager’s proficiency is highly valued.
Conclusion
To conclude, the factors that contribute to nursing professionalism are education, experience, and self-assessed behavior. At that, the identification of nurse managers’ roles is the main issue for consideration since, apart from nurses, they are the main contributors to the development of nursing professionalism and, subsequently, the quality of patient care.
References
Hood, L. J. (2014). Leddy & Pepper’s conceptual bases of professional nursing (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Tanaka, M., Taketomi, K., Yonemitsu, Y., & Kawamoto, R. (2016). Professional behaviors and factors contributing to nursing professionalism among nurse managers. Journal of Nursing Management, 24(1), 12-20.