Organization and Nursing Values

Organization and Nursing Values

Introduction

The first week following my admission into the College of Nursing is still fresh in my memory. I recall the enthusiasm and the happiness after the first orientation session with the College administration and the satisfaction with my progress and hard work that had brought me this far and rewarded me by securing a place in a nursing school. While in the college, I knew my journey towards my greatest and most respected career had just began and that’s why when we were asked to write down our nursing values during our first lesson; Introduction to Nursing, I found it easy since in my whole life I had known that my call was to be a nurse. I remember identifying my values as compassion, honesty, love for humanity, respect, self and family satisfaction and competence among others.

The personal values I posses developed gradually with my interaction with the environment. When my grandfather was sick and had been admitted to a hospital nearby in a critical, I took care of him until he passed on months later. During that period, nurses caught my attention form the way they were considerate to my grandfather’s situation. The compassion in there eyes as they attended to him; giving medication, encouragement and constantly visiting him to make sure he was happy and well. Grandfather confessed to me some day that God had prolonged his life through the nurses. The desire to help people, the love for humanity and self satisfaction in the work of a nurse took centre stage in me. I promised myself to work hard and become a nurse. Today, though I have noticed that nursing is not just about satisfaction and honesty, I still strive to keep these values alive in me as they formed my foundation in this profession. The personal values are important to me as they guide me in the daily execution of my duties. I work hard to gain knowledge to keep to the ever growing demands of the nursing profession, assist my fellow nurses in their duties as I believe team work assists in better decision making.

This essay seeks to address the essence of personal values in the development of nursing career noting the application of these values in the work environment. It will also underscore the impact of both the personal and organizational values to the provision of services to the patients and the community at large.

Values of NSW Health

Even though personal values have led to the development of the nursing profession, nurses find themselves in organizations that have formed their own values and code of ethics that the nurses have to follow while working. These are additional values that nurses work with in their professional service. These values are categorized by the organizations of health and seem to be similar across the globe. The NSW Health core values under which health care providers work including nurses are collaboration, openness, respect and empowerment (Verplanken, 2004).

According to the NSW Health, these core values must be demonstrated in working areas. Collaboration encompasses the working together of nurses through understanding the best practices that lead to achieving better results. Personal values of human dignity and life can be promoted through the knowledge acquisition that will enable me in upholding the best practices to promote human life. Williams, (2005).  

Honesty and compassion are part of the openness advocated for by the NSW Health. With openness I am able to interact freely with both my colleagues and with patients to obtain a better understanding of the patient and how to treat them using the best intervention possible.  All these value aim at realizing that the nurses are leaders who should demonstrate willingness to work in teams and contribute to the successful provision of services within the work place. With my passion and thirst for knowledge, there is great empowerment in addressing issues that relate to individual excellence and teams within the health care facility and in making sound decisions in the nursing fraternity.

Impact of NSW Health core values

Naden and Eriksson, (2004) argue that each organization tends to have a specific mode of action that identifies them. They set rules and codes of conducts that their employees must adhere to while working. The major functions of core values and codes of conduct are to promote a positive work environment from which best services are offered.  The values set out by the NSW Health have great implications on the various teams within the health care. Empowerment promotes the individual and team decisions in the provision of services with a realization that each individual can make a difference in the work place by maintain and promoting the culture of the place. To the leaders, it promotes informed decision making that comes with responsibility and accountability

 Within the working environment there must be mutual respect that will lay foundation of responsibility to performance. By the realization of the health care givers that each human being has fundamental rights and by respecting the rights, nurses and other health officials are able to treat patients and fellow colleagues with dignity and care they deserve. Respect among the individuals in the health care facility improves the workability of the people thus with good understanding and interaction, provision of services to the patients and the community improves. Respect from the facility leadership to other staff members is an indication of appreciating the contributions being made by the individual.

McCormack and McCance, (2006) noted that these values also promote open communication between the nurses, patients and the community as a whole. With this communication, it is possible to underscore the problems affecting individuals thus help in improving the level of services. Openness in the health care facility especially from the patients helps the nurses understand the problem of the patients better thus helps them make informed decisions in treatment. Consultations in difficult situations, helps in knowledge acquisition and transfer and as a result improves the better service delivery.

            Collaboration among the health care providers promotes the notion that each individual is important within the facility and by so doing it promotes good working conditions within the facility. Collaboration has also seen the great improvement in knowledge transfer that has enabled individuals make sound decisions in treatments and care. Outstanding performances within the health facility where medical practitioners have left a mark in treatment have been a result of team work. By encouraging team work and collaboration among nurses, doctors and all the staff within the health facility it is possible to make best treatments of diseases thus promoting the image of the facility.

Promotion of NSW Health core value within the health facility

In any organization there are core values and code of conduct that guide the day to day activities within the working environment. The health facility like any other organizations has leaders who have the mandate to make sure that the core values and the code of conduct are up help by the staff to the later. The leaders have to encourage formation intra and inter departmental working groups form which nurses and other health care givers assist one another in decision making thus promote better health care services. I n other cases, leaders from different facilities can be encouraged to have consultative forums to help members keep up with the knowledge of service in this ever charging world. Itzhaky et al (2004).  In collaboration with stakeholders, they can organize seminars that promote values and skills to encourage the health care providers full integrate and appreciate their work

To promote the core values of NSW Health, health leaders need to lead by example through respecting individuals both within the facility and the community at large. They should uphold the value to the later and incase of breaching by any staff member, disciplinary measures must be taken. In this context, leaders must not demonstrate and promote bias in their action as this can lead to misinterpretations by the other staff members. Proper communication from the leaders to both patients and health care givers will promote good understanding of each others needs thus able to offer best services.  McNeese et al, (2004).

            Through constant assessment from both the care givers and the patients, it is possible to evaluate the extend to which the facility is upholding the core values and how important they are to the improvement of the facility and services. This can be done through use of well structured surveys and questionnaires to both nurses and patients. In this regard getting of information from patients play a major role in ascertaining the problems affecting them an with better understanding the nurse is able to bond with the customer.

Impact of Values on Patients and Patient Treatment

The ultimate goal of the health facility is promote good health and fundamental human rights through service delivery. Personal values have a great impact on the general professional outlook. These values are important as they promote and influence the decisions taken by nurses and other health care givers. Well nurtured values act as motivators to the health care givers and this has a direct influence on the input of performance. According to Begat, Ellefsen & Severinsson, (2005), health care givers and their acceptance of life to all and promotion of human dignity make it easy to deal with patients of diverse backgrounds and diseases. Openness within the health facility and the community as a whole improves the communication between the health care givers and the patients and by so doing creates an understanding of the two parties. In return, decisions and treatment made is based on increased knowledge and awareness. Being true to people around you and encouraging each other in duty performance coupled with understanding the patient promotes confidence of the patient in the health facility thus offering an opportunity to offer service.

The organizational values have been instrumental in streamlining the work force in duty performance. When these values are well cultivated in the health care facility and with the patients, best services are offered. In this respect, organizational values are important to the patient as they prepare the patients to give information while within the facility by participating in the surveys and questionnaires to give right information for the improvement of service delivery. The information given is vital to both the patient and the care given to them. This interaction of health care givers and the patients is a good indication that patients desires are at heart. This will promote understanding among the patients and their care givers thus forming a bond between them that will then guide their nursing of the patients.

            Care givers and nurses by upholding both personal and organizational values, improves their knowledge and understanding of the changing medical world. According to Wright and McCormack (2001), collaborations among the nurses and doctors help improve the knowledge base and as a result informed decisions are made based on what is right and true to service. Forums and seminars are sometimes seen as wake up calls to nurses and other doctors to equip themselves with the current knowledge. Organizations can uphold their values through continuous training of nurses to improve their knowledge and learn new ways of treatment as such patients get best health care.

Organizational arrangements of duties and factors that influence care procedures and promote teamwork have always proved vital to the satisfaction of nurses and their nursing job. Patients on the receiving end always get better services following nurse’s satisfaction. In this case, the nurses are willing to listen to the patients and establish patterns of behavior and treatment and in the long run offer the best services to the patients.  Value promoting seminars and forums develop a collective identity to the nurses and other health care givers and with the urge to change their working formula that gives best results, establish true relationships with other staff members and in the process improve quality of health care to the patients.

Medication errors including wrong drugs, wrong dose and wrong intervention strategy can be harmful to the patient. In most cases, they result in nurses or doctors working in isolation. Patient’s specialized care for any particular need is as a result of team work that is encouraged from the application of the organizations core values. Encouraging and upholding of the values. Inter and intra professional collaboration in development of skills provides a better working environment. It has been noted that those nurses that work in groups make fewer errors in treatment of patients compared to those who work as an independent entity.

Preparation for better professional practice

 Best nursing practice are attained through constant preparations in both academic and social sectors. With the increasing number of people requiring care and nursing and the ever growing old of the nursing work force there is need to prepare adequately to meet the high demands (Youngston, 2008). There a growing lack of interest among the undergraduates in taking up positions to offer care in adult setting.

For better practice therefore, I require to have a mentor that will cultivate good morals and nursing virtues in me and provide the best understanding of nursing as a professional. The mentor will however introduce me to the organizational values and assist my personal development as I prepare to fully engage in the profession.

By the collaborations between the health care facilities and the academic institutions in encouraging students to take up positions in the workforce, I need to work hard during those sessions to ensure that I integrate into the system as early as possible. Professional nursing in practice is different from the academic perspective. To be able to equip myself with data and knowledge that will ensure a better understanding of the practice I need to work hard in all academic interactions. This in relation to the collaborations and cooperation among students will ensure a deeper understanding of the course McCormack, et al (2009)

I will make constant visits to the health care facilities around to familiarize myself with the hands on services available in the field and in the process gain courage so that when fully integrated, I will be I a better position to offer best services to the patients.

Conclusion

Nurses are destined to provision of better services to the patients and improve their health. In there quest however, there are personal values that guide them in the selection of nursing as a profession and while in the work station, they find organizational values which now nurture them into professionals that are able to give outstanding results.  These personal and organizational values have a great impact on both the patients and other health care givers. Therefore there is need for the undergraduate students to prepare well during their academic work to gain knowledge that will make them have minimum errors at work.

References

McCormack, B., Henderson, E., Wilson, V. & Wright J. (2009) Making practice visible: The         workplace Culture Critical Analysis Tool (WCCAT). Practice development in Healthcare         8(1): 28-43.

Youngston, R. (2008) Compassion in healthcare: the missing dimension of healthcare        reform? The NHS Confederation Futures Debate Paper 2

Wright J. & McCormack B. (2001) Practice Development: Individualized care. Nursing Standard 15(36: 37-42. RCN Publishing Company

Verplanken B. Value congruence and job satisfaction among nurses: a human relations      perspective. Int J Nurs Stud 2004; 41: 599/605

Itzhaky H, Gerber P, Dekel R. Empowerment, skills, and values: a comparative study of nurses    and social workers. Int J Nurs Stud 2004; 41: 447/55

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Naden D, Eriksson K. Understanding the importance of values and moral attitudes in nursing       care in preserving human dignity. Nurs Sci Q 2004; 17: 86/91

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McCormack, B. & McCance, T. (2006) Development of a framework for person-centred nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 56(5): 472-9