Excellence in Clinical Nursing Term Paper

clinical nursing professionals require self knowledge as well as expertise in order to be successful in their field using Patricia Benner's book as a background. It has one source.

Clinical professions today require experts. In a clinical setting both nurses and doctor are equipped with information which will validate their presence for patient care. A critical understanding of the processes of diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of the patient is imperative as they are responsible for the patient care outcomes. Nurses today are playing a critical role as intermediaries, more knowledgeable than an attendant but with less expertise than the physicians themselves. Nursing is no longer a comparatively inferior career but a highly sophisticated field requiring clinical expert skills to carry out patient care duties. They are responsible for making on the spot decisions; act as coaches for aspiring nurses; specialize in certain areas such as rehabilitation, injuries, administrative nurses etc. And they are also to assist their peers in patient care and clinical practices. The complex environment in which nurses work is even further made challenging with the introduction of technology. Operations theaters, equipments, emergency care units and at times paramedic services all demand nurses play an extra role apart from attendance. In fact in dire emergency situations they are required to take initiatives in making quick decisions and implement them. Thus nurses in today's environment are required to have an all-encompassing role in which they are the decision makers, the mentor, the expert as well as the supporters for clinical patient care outcomes.

Studies indicate that [Benner 1984] the path to achieving excellence in nursing is filled with barriers and difficulties. The effectiveness of nurses' patient care outcome is never immediate because patients take a long time to develop a trust with their medical assistants; doctors are critical of the role of nurses in medical care and administrators are not enthusiastic about support staff even though they realize that nurses play crucial roles in critical care situations.

Whether one is a registered nurse or general one, nurses are required to support their peers and at the same time expected to understand the sufferings of their patients. Mandates like being on time, on location, performing group duties and performing interoperative tasks etc. are rudimentary. They are required to act as padding support for their peers while on the other hand, patients expect nurses to inform them of…