Advancements and innovations in public health practice helped to increase longevity, but the aging population tends to live longer with various chronic and acute health problems (Davitt, Madigan, Rantz, & Skemp, 2016). In the context of Adult-Gerontology Acute Care settings, nurse practitioners are responsible for the provision of high-quality care, physical and psychological support for patients and their families, and restoration of health.
Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (AG ACNPs) participate in the assessment and management of health interventions for acutely ill individuals in multiple departments of the clinic and hospital settings: intensive care and emergency units, laboratories, inpatient wards, and others. It means that in their daily practice, AG ACNPs need to collaborate with a large number of people, establish and maintain professional relationships with the members of the health care team, patients, and their close ones.
It is possible to say that, the professional role of an AG ACNP is comprised of two major aspects – the technical side of the health care process and the psychological implications of communication with acutely ill patients and a work team. Thus, it is important to make efforts for the development and professional growth in each of the mentioned areas of nursing practice.
My professional philosophy is based on essential human and ethical values. I believe that an individual approach to each patient is an integral part of efficient medical treatment, and the consideration of multiple non-physical aspects of human welfare can significantly improve the quality of care. One of the recent research studies provides evidence for the favorable impacts of the holistic approach to individual well-being that may be regarded as a complex of social, psychological, environmental, and physiological elements.
According to Davitt et al. (2016), such a holistic approach to adult patients’ well-being contributes to the achievement of better intervention outcomes and helps to promote exercising of healthy aging principles in the community. Therefore, it is essential not merely to help a patient to cope with the physical side of illness but also provide him/her with psychological and emotional support through open and respectful communication, protection of individual dignity, and encouragement of self-determination for the engagement in healthier lifestyle and practice of self-management activities.
According to the ANA Code of Ethics cited by Blair and Jansen (2015), a nurse should show compassion and respect to the dignity of every person. It means that a nurse needs to communicate in a friendly and open way with her colleagues as well. Groves (2014) emphasizes that the character of communication largely affects the working environment, staff members, the overall quality of care, as well as patients’ perceptions and response to interventions.
The practice of an AG ACNP implies close collaboration with physicians and other members of the nursing staff. Thus, it is important to be able to maintain a positive climate in the workplace and productively resolve any disputes because effective collaboration and mutual understanding are the major prerequisites of job satisfaction, work efficacy, productivity, and excellent quality of service.
An AG ACNP needs to have a profound understanding of how to treat illnesses and handle medical procedures. However, it is also significant to comprehend the value of own role as a nurse, its impacts on other people, and to be able to develop the professional behavior according to the high standards of professional conduct, organizational mission, and align them with personal values and principles. The cultivation of personal values and their integration into the working process is an essential driver of progress and growth. Therefore, each nurse should strive to perform according to professional ethics and own philosophical principles to achieve greater self-realization and efficiency in the profession.
References
Blair, K., & Jansen, M. (2015). Advanced practice nursing: Core concepts for professional role development. New York, NY: Springer.
Davitt, J. K., Madigan, E. A., Rantz, M., & Skemp, L. (2016). Aging in community: Developing a more holistic approach to enhance older adults’ well-being. Research in Gerontological Nursing, 9(1), 6-13.
Groves, W. (2014). Professional practice skills for nurses. Nursing Standard, 29(1), 51-59.