Nursing - Collective Bargaining

The Necessity of Defined Boundaries in Nursing (Your name here (Your affiliation here (Your instructor 's name here

What the Hippocratic Oath is to physicians , the Nightingale Pledge is to nurses . The very essence of this pledge needs to be maintained today as it was intended to be when it was first used on a graduating nursing class in 1893 Detroit (Wikipedia , 2007 . Its importance is not to be understated - its meaning not to be devalued . For any nurse in a leadership position , it is necessary to engrain this pledge in one 's

mind , rather than just repeat it for the sake of a certificate . With this engrained mentality , the managing nurse will possess the capacity to effectively implement this dogma into the minds and lives of young nurses

The Nightingale Pledge is symbolic of the more general concept of nursing boundary theory . The American Nurses Association (ANA , the American Medical Association (AMA , the state and national governments of the United States , every university with a nursing program , as well as every nurse and physician all have well-founded interests in defining boundaries that represent ethical and safe behaviors concerning nurses (Holder , 2007 . As the world , specifically the US , continues to rely more and more on healthcare provision , it is unavoidable that some loss of integrity concerning the quality of nurses in general will occur Young nursing students are not always as true-hearted about the profession as was the lovely Miss Nightingale . They may be drawn to the profession for a well known variety of other reasons including handsome salaries and constant , versatile demand for services . This precisely why the senior nursing staff must actively attempt to preserve the integrity of each nurse and thereby the entire profession

The question then becomes how to do it how to instill the solid and earnest concepts presented in the Nightingale Pledge into the minds and hearts of budding nurses . Education is the key (Wikipedia , 2007 . As a leader , a managing nurse may initiate continuing educational services for the nursing staff . Programs that reinforce the foundations of nursing can be offered in a variety of formats . There are no rules for creative presentation . Five minutes at every staff meeting could be dedicated to boundary discussions , for instance . Staff emails could be sent regularly presenting a boundary tip of the day . Colorful and inviting flyers could be posted on the walls of staff break areas if nothing else . The importance lies in the transference of the knowledge in the sowing of the seeds of Nightingale . The managing nurse , and every nurse , should strive to uphold personal integrity levels as well as preserving the time-tested , well-earned respect for the world 's most caring profession : Nursing (Holder , 2007

As time goes on , nursing careers will progress in all areas and in all directions . A certain percentage of nurses will graduate for the wrong reasons this is unavoidable . With the necessary components of preservation activated and consistently engaged , the managing nurse can serve as one vehicle for the...