Module 1 Discussion

DQ1 What is the difference between advocating for health policy directly effecting patients and the community versus advocating for the profession of nursing? Should the nurse health policy advocate only one or the other? How do you imagine the public or legislators would view each set of issues?

DQ2 The text discusses little “p” and big “P” policy. Explain the difference between the two.

MORE INFO 

Advocating for the profession of nursing vs patients

Introduction

Nursing is a big picture. It’s not just the patients you care for that matter, but also their families, their friends and other healthcare professionals who work with them. As a nurse, your job is to support these people in whatever way possible – even if it means advocating for yourself when necessary.

Advocacy is not always a simple matter of right and wrong.

Advocacy is not always a simple matter of right and wrong. It’s a complex process, and there are many different perspectives on what is right or wrong.

Advocacy is about helping people make decisions that are right for them—and it can be difficult to know which options will work best in your situation. There are no hard-and-fast rules; each situation is unique, so you’ll need to do some research on your own before deciding how best to advocate for yourself or others in need of assistance with their own healthcare needs.

Patients are sick, frightened and often angry and anxious. They may not be able to control their emotions.

Patients are often in a very vulnerable state, confused and frightened. They may not be able to control their emotions. For example, if a patient is having trouble breathing or getting enough oxygen, she will be stressed out as well as feeling pain from the illness.

But nursing is a bigger picture

You might be thinking, “But nurses are the ones who have the most contact with patients. They’re the front line of health care—they see what’s happening on a daily basis!” But it’s not just about seeing things for yourself. Nurses also have an important role in educating their patients about how to take care of themselves and their families after they leave the hospital.

A nurse can help make sure that each patient understands exactly what happened during their stay at St. Joseph Hospital so that they know how to prevent future complications or infections again (and hopefully avoid them altogether). A nurse will also explain any medications needed while recovering from surgery or other procedures performed by doctors at St. Joseph Hospital (as well as any additional treatments ahead).

Nurses are vulnerable to patients’ emotions

Nurses are human too. They have feelings, just like you do. And they’re not immune to patient’s emotions either. This is especially true when it comes to a patient with whom you’ve had a long-standing relationship and who has been through so much in their life already that they don’t trust anyone anymore (like the elderly).

The front line of nurse care means that nurses are vulnerable to patients’ emotions—and vice versa! If a patient is upset about something happening at home or work and then comes into your room for some comfort, what do you think will happen?

Nurses have been trained to handle and cope with patient’s emotions but they also have their job to do.

Nurses are trained to handle and cope with patient’s emotions. They are taught to be understanding, empathetic and supportive. However, nurses have a job to do, which means that they cannot be distracted by patient’s emotions or allow patients to abuse them.

With this in mind, nurses must set boundaries with their patients so that they can focus on what needs doing rather than worrying about how the patient is feeling at any given moment (or whether he/she will leave). This includes setting limits around when visits can take place; limiting phone calls; informing family members about treatment plans etc…

Nurses deserve the respect of patients but sometimes that is hard to attain.

You may be thinking that advocating for the profession of nursing is a simple matter of right and wrong. But it’s not. Sometimes patients are sick, frightened and angry or anxious because they’re in pain or experiencing something life-threatening. The last thing you want to do is make them more uncomfortable by becoming confrontational with them; but at the same time you need to understand that there are bigger issues at stake here than just your own personal comfort level (or lack thereof).

Conclusion

We believe that nurses have been trained to handle and cope with patient’s emotions but they also have their job to do. Nurses deserve respect from patients but sometimes this is hard to attain.