WGU C304 Task 1 .docx - Running head PROFESSIONAL NURSING...

Running head: PROFESSIONAL NURSING PRACTICE 1
Professional Nursing Practice and How it Affects Others and Myself
Kelly Coelho
Western Governor’s University

PROFESSIONAL NURSING PRACTICE
Professional Nursing Practice and How it Affects Others and Myself
A. As a nurse, there are various theories that I can apply to my personal and professional life
in order to ensure the highest quality of care to my patients. A theory that has especially
impacted the way I treat my patients is Leininger’s transcultural nursing theory. The basis of this
theory is that patient care should be provided that is congruent with the patient’s cultural beliefs,
values, and practices. Nurses can apply this theory to implement excellent nursing practices by
becoming knowledgeable in various cultures, and being aware of how cultural aspects influence
how their patient’s view and prefer to receive healthcare. They can use this information to be
more conscientious of individual patients’ needs and preferences – thus providing better patient
care. In my life I have had the privilege of going on medical mission trips to many countries. The
varied experiences I had with different cultures have helped me to better apply the transcultural
theory to the patients I care for in my professional practice.
B. Two historical nursing figures that greatly contributed to making nursing into what it is
today are Florence Nightingale and Lillian Wald. Florence Nightingale, also known as the
founder of professional nursing (Ellis and Hartley, 2012), was an intelligent woman who grew up
in an affluent home. Since her childhood days, Nightingale had an affinity for caring for the sick
and suffering. At 31 years of age Nightingale decided to pursue her interest in obtaining a
nursing career. During the Crimean War, Nightingale was able to demonstrate her natural nursing
and leadership abilities. Nightingale is credited for contributing to many areas of nursing
including: health care reform, nursing research by documenting soldier death rates, and
improvement of hospital sanitary conditions. She also is responsible for establishing the first
nursing school in London, England (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). Florence Nightingale’s work was a
“catapult for the reorganization and advancement of professional nursing” (Cherry & Jacob,
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PROFESSIONAL NURSING PRACTICE
2016, p. 8). Lillian Wald is best known for her contributions to public health nursing, developing
work for nurses in occupational health, and establishing the first workable practice for public
health nurses. Wald later went on to chair a committee of nurses that eventually evolved into
what we know today as the American Nurses Association (ANA), as well as the Society of
Superintendents of Training Schools for Nurses which is now known as the National League for
Nursing or NLN (Cherry & Jacob, 2016) – two organizations that are vital to maintaining the
quality and standards of the nursing profession today.