Family nurse practitioners either work autonomously or in collaboration with other health professionals to provide family-based care. They offer a significant number of services ranging from health promotion to the prevention of diseases within a family unit. Some of the areas that they could work in include the doctor's office, private homes, and in the hospitals amongst other settings. Although they put great emphasis on prevention and wellness, family nurses also treat different types of ailments that affect members of a family (Wright, & Leahey, 2012). Due to the scope of the work, family nurse practitioners have several strengths and weaknesses that make their job unique.
Strengths
Empathy and Compassion
Success as a family nurse requires a professional to possess the value of empathy and compassion. Empathy in nursing involves being aware of the emotions and experiences of the patients. On the other hand, practicing compassion requires a nurse to remain sympathetic and concerned about the misfortunes and sufferings of the patients (Gottlieb, 2012). A family nurse will deal with elderly patients suffering from terminal illnesses in their home settings. Patients in the family setting are prone to many physical and psychological issues. Nurses must, therefore, develop this strength in countering anxiety, fear, depression, anger, and resentment that might implicate on these individuals' health.
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Communication
Although the value of communication cuts across different types of nurses, a family nurse will likely benefit the most. Nurses will interact with patients in their homes on a daily basis meaning that communication will become an essential tool. Nurses will not only need to speak properly to the patient but also the family members. Consequently, the family nurse must also remain keen to listen to the needs of the patient and family members to enhance effective treatment. Communication will enable the nurse to handle difficult patients and challenging working environments such as the home setting that might not meet the required treatment standards.
Emotional Stability
The third major strength that comes with this job is emotional stability where nurses are required to deal with traumatic situations properly. In such a care setting, nurses will be required to provide care to critically and terminally ill people. Nurses are therefore needed to accept suffering and even death without necessarily getting personal (Gottlieb, 2012). They must develop strategies to combat stress and difficult situations within their professional scope.
Weaknesses
Flexibility
Flexibility becomes a significant weakness for a nurse confined within the home setting. A flexible nurse will gain professional advancement at a faster rate because they are exposed to a wide variety of care services such as immunization, gynecology, surgery, and public health. However, a family nurse will probably have to focus on treatment and prevention medicine which potentially limits their professional advancement.
Working Conditions
Nurses working in the family units might not experience similar conditions to those either working in the hospital or community settings. They experienced an increased pressure and stress because the home lacks the ideal treatment environment acquired in healthcare facilities. Additionally, they must contend with pressure from family members who could show insensitivities and hostilities towards the professional (Rice, 2012).
Legal risks
Since nurses in most states have the power not only to diagnose but treat diseases, they are increasingly exposed to lawsuits if the patient is unhappy with their treatment. The patient's family can sue the nurse in the event that the patient dies. Rice, (2012) asserted that a nurse is also at risk of getting sued by allied professionals such as doctors who might feel that their services in the home setting go beyond their professional scope.
The assessment, therefore, shows that although family nursing is a great professional area, it comes with its challenges. Therefore, success will only come by maximizing the strengths and finding ways to mitigate the weaknesses.
References
Gottlieb, L. N. (2012). Strengths-based nursing care: Health and healing for person and family . Springer Publishing Company.
Rice, V. H. (Ed.). (2012). Handbook of stress, coping, and health: Implications for nursing research, theory, and practice . Sage.
Wright, L. M., & Leahey, M. (2012). Nurses and families: A guide to family assessment and intervention . FA Davis.
