Nurses Knowledge to Be Successful Healthcare Professionals

Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
References

Introduction

As they say, a master of information is a master of the situation. That is why it is challenging to overestimate the role that data plays in various spheres of human life, and the healthcare industry is not an exception. It is not a surprise that the more knowledgeable a health professional is, the better care they can provide to patients. This statement explains why numerous doctors and nurses are obsessed with improving their expertise and qualification. However, the quality, not quantity, of the absorbed information matters, denoting that healthcare professionals should draw attention to what and how they learn. The analysis of the assigned readings allows for concluding that nurses should absorb versatile information, but not all ways of knowing are productive.

Main body

To begin with, one should mention that there are different ways of knowing in nursing. The readings by Carper (1978) and Zander (2007) are aligned because they comment on four patterns, including empirics, ethics, esthetics, and personal knowledge. These writing pieces demonstrate that a nurse should master competencies within all these four areas to become a successful and efficient healthcare professional.

There is a solid logic behind this suggestion because there is no doubt that a nurse should be aware of scientific advancements that represent the empirical field. Esthetics refers to a nurses understanding of the patients behavior, and this skill is necessary because interpersonal cooperation is involved. Nurses often face ethical dilemmas, meaning that they should have appropriate skills and competencies to respond to them. Finally, personal knowledge refers to the fact that nurses need an awareness of self and others to create productive relationships with other individuals. Thus, it is logical that the researchers highlight the necessity of these knowledge patterns.

One of the readings revealed a surprising idea that some people underestimate the nurses role in the healthcare industry. According to a suggestion by Gordon (2002), nurses role is limited to ensuring that right dose, right time, right patient, right route are implemented. It is a primitive understanding of what nurses do, and one cannot agree with it. In fact, nurses have always played a crucial role in the medical sphere, and it is good that the article by Gordon (2002) has commented on this importance considering a specific example. A person should have a particular set of mind to be a successful nurse because it is necessary to analyze workplace issues through the prism of human vulnerability (Gordon, 2002).

It is also good that the author highlighted the significance of education and training for these healthcare professionals. Every practitioner nurse should become aware of this reading to understand what is expected of them and what challenges can emerge during their work.

In addition to that, one can claim that not all the proposed ways of knowing seem appropriate and reliable. For example, Zander (2007) stipulated that intuition was another knowledge pattern, and she explained that a few researchers shared the same point of view. Their opinion was that non-rational thinking processes helped nurses make the right decisions. Even though many scholars admit the effectiveness of this way of knowing, it seems unrealistic that intuition can be considered a practical domain. The rationale behind this statement is that it is challenging to measure or explain this phenomenon and how individuals can use it.

Considering intuition as a knowing pattern can result in adverse consequences for the whole healthcare industry. If nurses are allowed to rely on their gut feeling and use it to justify their decisions at the workplace, the importance of medical education and training will be underestimated. Consequently, the use of intuition in health care increases the likelihood of making errors that will lead to worsened health outcomes among patients.

Irrespective of the doubtful statement regarding the role of intuition, the readings under consideration have numerous strengths. Firstly, they had a significant impact on the field, and the fact that Zander (2007) in her work refers to Carper (1978) proves this statement. The writing pieces contributed to a better understanding of how and why nurses should improve their professional knowledge. Secondly, the readings offered a comprehensive synthesis of the existing literature on the topic. The authors tried to use credible and timely sources for their time. Consequently, one can state that the readings deal with and offer a solid theoretical base, which is a significant strength.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the paper has presented an analysis of the three readings. Since these writing pieces commented on the ways of knowing in nursing, it was possible to overview them and evaluate the authors opinions. Firstly, some experts offered logical statements regarding the fact that nurses should have had versatile knowledge to be successful healthcare professionals. This information is aligned with the modern opinions that highlight the importance of ethical, empirical, and esthetic competencies for nurses.

Secondly, it was surprising that many people considered nurses insignificant in the healthcare industry because sufficient examples demonstrate that these staff members play a crucial role in the medical field. Finally, it has been identified that not all the suggested ways of knowing deserve attention, and intuition is a suitable example because nurses should not rely on this phenomenon while making health decisions.