Nursing Foundation

Summary:

This document covers a variety of topics related to the nursing foundation as a profession, including definitions of nursing and nursing practice, the philosophy and objectives of nursing, and the roles and functions of a professional nurse. It also discusses the development of nursing as a profession in India, factors influencing nursing trends and education, the scope of the nursing profession, and professional organizations.

Excerpt:

INTRODUCTION
Different people interpret nursing foundations in different ways. It is still thought by many people that nursing is only taking care of sick persons and helping the doctor in the treatment of the patients. But nursing is much more different than this.

Nursing is one of the most exciting and challenging careers that an individual can enter. Today’s nurse receives a formal education in an institution with a set curriculum that has been approved by the state board of nursing.

Upon completion of the program, the graduate takes an examination to become a licensed nurse. To understand where the nursing profession and nursing education are today, the nurse must look at the history of nursing and nursing education. The present unit will highlight various aspects of the Nursing profession, professional trends, the expanded and extended role of nurses, and nursing care concepts.

NURSING AS A PROFESSION
The Definition and Meaning of Nursing, Nursing Profession, and Nursing Practice

Nursing

The rich historical background in nursing has set the stage for changes in nursing. Definitions of nursing continue to evolve, and no one definition fits a comprehensive explanation of nursing. It is very difficult to define nursing in a few words. Nightingale (1860) said that nursing “ought to signify the proper use of fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet and the proper selection and administration of diet”.

According to Clara Weeks (1899), nursing includes not only the “execution of the physician’s order”, but also the
“administration of food and medicine, and the more personal care of the patient, attention to the condition of the sick room, its warmth, cleanliness, and ventilation, the careful observation and reporting of symptoms and the prevention of contagion.”