This document outlines topics related to professional nursing including: historical influences like Florence Nightingale and Mary Seacole; gender issues in the field; ethical considerations; characteristics of nursing as a profession; preparation and barriers to the profession; and the development of baccalaureate nursing programs. Specific people, events, recommendations, and issues are discussed under each topic heading. The document serves as an overview and reference material for a discussion on professional nursing.

1. C R E A T E D B Y , J U L I A N N A K I M B A L L
Professional Nursing

2. Items to Discuss
 Historical Influences
 Gender Issues
 Ethical Issues
 Social Media of the Past
 Social Media Today
 Characteristics of “Profession”
 Characteristics of a Nurse
 Professional Preparation
 Professional Preparation Issues
 Barriers of Nursing
 Internal & External Conflicts
 Baccalaureate Program
 References
Please see notes for
added information.

3. Historical Influences
 Starting in 1853-1856, Florence Nightingale took 38
nurses to the British hospital in Scutari, Turkey.
 There she organized and cleaned the hospital, while
providing care for wounded soldiers during the
Crimean War.
 Then in 1860, she founded the first training school
for nurses.

4. Historical Influences
 Mary Seacole – established a hotel for wounded
soldiers and assisted them on the battle field.
 Dorothea L. Dix – superintendent of women nurses
by the union army.
 Susie King Taylor- taught soldiers to read and write.
 Mary Ann Bickerdyke – herablist, priority was
cleanliness
 Isabel Hampton Robb-primary founder & first leader
of the association of nursing superintendents.

5. Gender Issues
 Men have slowly been increasing their numbers in
nursing schools.
 1886,the first male nursing school was established.
 Today there are about 11% of men enrolled in nursing
schools
 The stereotypes have affected nursing for 160 years
 Men have always been considered to be strong, powerful,
and bread winners.
 Women have always been seen as caring, “lady-like”,
homemakers.
 This affects our enrollment status because nursing has
always been women oriented.

6. Ethical Issues
 RN’s have to put their values, morals, ethics, and
bioethics aside when it comes to the patient’s
decision.
 Social Cultural influences
 Immigration
 Institutional & social issues
 Data access issues
 Social Media
 Substance abuse
 Peers & Professional Behavior

7. Ethical Issues
 How to deal with a ethical Decision:
1. Clarify the dilemma (Who, What When, Where, Why,
how?)
2. Gather additional data (facts, data, legal information).
3. Identify options (Solutions, brainstorm alternatives).
4. Make a decision
5. Act
6. Evaluate

8. Social Media of the Past

9. Social Media Today

10. Characteristics of “Profession”
1. Services provided are vital to humanity and welfare of society.
2. Special body of knowledge that enlarges through research.
3. Intellectual activities-individual responsibility (accountability).
4. We are educated through educations of higher learning
5. Relatively independent & has control over their own policies and
activities (autonomy).
6. Motivation (altruism), work is important
7. Code of Ethics (serves 3 purposes)
a. Fundamental values and commitments of the nurse
b. Boundaries, loyalty, duty
c. Duties beyond individual patient encounters
8. Organizations support high quality practice (association).

11. Characteristics of a Nurse
 Respectful
 Ethical
 Honest
 Consistent
 Communicator
 Collaborative
 Forgiving
 Accountable
 Current
 Involved
 Role model
 Prepared
 Be the best
 Be responsible for your own learning

12. Professional Preparation
 Preparation & Commitment
 Oriented to the beliefs
 Values
 Attitudes
 Standards of practice & ethical considerations
•Intense Preparation
-Logical
-Rational
-Scientific knowledge
-Problem Solving

13. Profession Preparation Issues
 5 major problems:
 1.) Students are not being educated to care for diverse,
elderly, and chronically ill patients.
 2.) Students are not being prepared to work in teams
 3.) Our education isn’t teaching us to evaluate and use
evidence based practice.
 4.) There is little opportunity to learn how to identify,
analyze, and eliminate the root cause of error.
 5.) We are not provided with the basic informatics
training to access computerized order entry systems.

14. Barriers of Nursing
 Variability of education
 Lack of standardized requirements
 Lack of resolution
 Lack of educators
 Lack of education of higher degrees

15. Internal & External Conflicts
Internal Conflicts External Conflicts
Increased tension Higher Education
< 10% of RN’s are apart of the ANA Advanced Practice
Shortage of instructors Increased Responsibilities
Shortage of Programs Unable to keep up with the demand of
nurses in our society.

16. Baccalaureate Program
 First BSN program was established in 1909.
 1965,The American Nurses Association (ANA)
created 3 recommendations, then strengthened them
in 1979.
I. Minimum preparation for entry into the professional
nursing should be a BSN.
II. Two levels of nursing should be identified (professional &
technical).
III. There should be a increased accessibility to high-quality
career mobility programs that use flexible approaches.

17. Baccalaureate Program
 Mid 1980’s the National Commission suggested that
the major block to the advancement of nursing was
ongoing conflict within the profession.
 In 1982, the National league for Nurses approved
“Position Statement on Nursing Roles: Scope and
Preparation”.
 By 1996, AACN approved “The Baccalaureate Degree
in Nursing as a minimal preparation for professional
practice.

18. Baccalaureate Program
 This program allows for RN’s with their Associates
Degree or Diploma Degree to continue on their
education.
 The programs are being offered online now, which
makes for a more flexible schedule.
 The program welcomes a wide range of diversity

19. References
 Black, B., (2017). Professional Nursing Concepts and
Challenges. Eighth Edition. Elsevier, Inc. St. Louis,
Missouri.
 Google images (all images found here)