The notion of care is quite critical in nursing practices and forms the core of the day to day endeavors in catering to the needs of the patient. Irrespective of whether one is engaged in out- or inpatient services, the client always wants to feel cared for and about. Education is a major factor in enhancing the care attributes of a nurse. While caring about a patient is psychological, care for another person is founded on one’s professionalism and expertise. The utilization of the human caring model in nursing is critical in the enhancement of nursing services and in particular distinguishing between a nursing practitioner (NP) and registered nurse (RN).
Distinction between RN and NP
Every RN has a specific role in the realms of healthcare practice. There are RNs who engage in the role of midwifery, gerontologists, anesthetists, pediatrics, and specialized care. The area of specialization is critical in the licensure of RNs (Naylor & Kurtzman, 2010). A nursing practitioner has several roles in the dispensation of various duties in alignment with the needs of patients. NPs represent the advancement of care in the clinical settings and other contexts in which they are engaged. One aspect that distinguishes a NP from RN is that the former engages in broader roles, not only in a clinical setting but also in other contexts, such as schools and workplaces. The NP can work independently or in collaborative practices with innovation playing a critical role in enhancing their delivery of services while at the same time being accountable to the outcomes of every engagement. In this light, there NPs who run public healthcare centers while others may opt to engage in private endeavors of running retail clinics (Naylor & Kurtzman, 2010). A NP is also at liberty to choose a career path that best suits her expertise in alignment with the level of knowledge and experience.
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Application of the Human Caring Model
The human caring model emphasizes the care for the patient in ensuring effectiveness in the delivery of services. The interaction between the nurse and the patients is critical in the enhancement of service delivery and ensuring the satisfaction of the patients. For a registered nurse, the care for the patient may solely embark on seeking knowledge about the condition of the patient and how it can be improved. A NP, on the other hand, possesses advanced knowledge that enables him or her to go beyond prescribing drugs to the patient. Communication becomes a critical tool which is part of the NP’s advancement.
Communication and Listening as Ingredients of Satisfactory Service
Listening is a major aspect of communication and an element of responsible nursing endeavors (Kourkouta & Papathanasiou, 2014). One critical element that I will utilize as part of depicting care for the patient is to always ensure that the environment is peaceful and free from any kind of distractions. In the past, I have experienced a situation where the patient gets distracted by the bang of the doors or interruption of the conversation by someone else who has a need that can wait. I will strive to ensure that the patient gets satisfactorily attended to ensure that he or she gives as much information as possible to enhance the effectiveness of care. Pajnkihar, Stiglic and Vrbnjak (2017) present a scenario where some patients fail to offer critical information to the nurse due to frequent disruptions of visitors or the nurse’s colleagues. While some patients may depict trust for the nurse and a willingness to give all information that may be necessary, third parties may create shame and thus lead to disguise of information that may be critical to the nurse’s provision of care.
Core Values of Nursing
The human caring model proposes various core values that are important to the NP’s practice. Humanistic altruistic values form the basis for competency in the endeavors of offering care to the patients. They comprise of love, kindness, and commitment to equity for others and oneself. The trait of instilling faith and being a source of hope is also crucial and acts as the basis for the recognition and respect for ones and other’s belief system. Sensitivity to other’s needs and feelings is also an enabler of effectiveness in the provision of primary care. Watson (2007) further postulates the need for a NP to develop a helping-trusting attitude. These and other core values that align to the human caring endeavors enable a NP to succeed in the provision of advanced primary care in various contexts. I will, therefore, strive to ensure kindness, love, inspiration, and the helping-trusting attitudes in my service to patients as a NP.
Relationship between Nursing and other Disciplines
Teamwork is important in enhancing the provision of primary care to the patients satisfactorily. As such, a NP has to be conversant with the undertakings of some other individuals as part of ensuring the satisfaction of the patients with the care offered. In this light, the NP may engage in the role of the nutritionist or social worker to extend the efficiency of offering quality service to the patient. As part of inpatient services, for instance, a NP may visit the patients during their meals and help in feeding some of those who are not in a position to feed themselves. Helping the patient to find a comfortable position for the successful ingestion of food is also an area in which a NP may assist. It may also emerge that some patients are not comfortable with the kind of food offered to them. Meal times will offer the best opportunity for a NP’s exposure to such grievances (Aperibense & Barreira, 2008). The NP is vested with more powers than the nutritionist to change the diet of the patients where such a need arises. Collaborating with the nutritionist, therefore, would be one of the major steps in enhancing care for the patient.
Other than working with the nutritionist, the NP is also supposed to act as a link between the patient and other people involved in the management of the situation. Central to the patient’s care is the NP’s role to offer advice about self-care and management of the disease. This is where the NP collaborates with the physician in determining what is appropriate for the patient. The NP also collaborates with the case manager, occupational and physical therapists, medical coders, and clinical documentation specialists in ensuring that the patient’s case is followed and care provided in alignment with all the prerequisites or suggestions of the hospital staff. For an inpatient whose time for discharge commences, the NP has a role to ensure that the patient is comfortable and continues to be cared for even after leaving the hospital. It is up to the NP to offer educational assistance to the caretaker(s) of the patient to ensure that the challenges faced are minimized or eliminated altogether. The NP should also do a follow-up to know the kind of care the patient undergoes after leaving the hospital (Kutzleb et al., 2017). Where a patient requires long term care, the NP should take the initiative to educate family members and others close to the patient to ensure that such a client is served appropriately. The NP may also be required to appoint someone to pay a visit to other patients who may require the visiting nurse services. The NP Care Model best explains the association between nursing and other disciplines in enhancing the outcomes of teamwork.
Conclusion
The human caring model is one of the models that explain the role of nursing in the healthcare and other social contexts. This model emphasizes the need for a patient-centered approach in enhancing care for the patients. In alignment with this model, the roles of the NP are more diversified than those of a RN. While a RN engages in specialized duties, such as midwifery, anesthetist, and pediatrics, the NP may engage in private or public endeavors as an independent professional or collaborate with others to offer services that entail advanced primary care for the patients. The NP areas of coverage are also broad, including workplaces and schools. The notion of trust, sensitivity to other’s needs, inspiration, love, and kindness are some of the core values supported by this model. Communication emerges as a strong element in enhancing the relationships between a patient and a NP. Listening is one of the communication’s aspects that are critical to a nurse in ensuring appropriate care and satisfactory service to a patient. Of great importance is the fact that the NP should ensure a peaceful environment for the patient to speak up his or her grievances. Teamwork is another element that boosts the provision of appropriate care to a patient. For inpatients, the human caring model applies appropriately as such patients should perceive the hospital as home through the care given to them. The NP should collaborate with the nutritionist to ensure that the patient’s meals are appropriate and any other grievances associated with the same are addressed. Again, the NP should engage with other social workers to ensure that the patient is served appropriately to enhance satisfaction. The physicians, medical coders, physical therapists, and record keepers are some of the staff members that the NP should engage with to ensure quality service to the patient. Follow-up should also happen to ensure that the patient continues receiving appropriate care after being discharged from hospital. The implication is that the NP gets involved in every stage of provision of care to a patient with the main role being the provision of insights to enhance problem-solving and thus ensure satisfactory service to the patient.
References
Aperibense, P. G. G. S. & Barreira, I. A. (2008). Connections among nursing, nutrition and social work, pioneering female careers in the healthcare area. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP , 42 (3), http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0080-62342008000300009
Kourkouta, L. & Papathansiou, I. V. (2014). Communication in nursing practice. Journal of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 26 (1), 65-67. Doi: 10.5455/msm.2014.26.65-67
Kutzleb, J., Rigolosi, R., Fruhschien, A., Reilly, M., Shaftic, A. M., Duran, D. & Flynn, D. (2015). Nurse practitioner care model. Meeting the healthcare challenges with a collaborative team. Nursing Economics, 33 (6), 297-304. Retrieved from https://www.nursingeconomics.net/ce/2017/article3306297304.pdf
Naylor, M. D. & Kurtzman, E. T. (2010). The role of nurse practitioners in reinventing primary care. Health Affairs, 29 (5), 893-899. Doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2010.0440
Pajnkihar, M., Stiglic, G. & Vrbnjak, D. (2017). The concept of Watson’s carative factors in nursing and their (dis)harmony with patient satisfaction. Peer J., 5 (e2940). Doi: 10.7717/peerj.2940
Watson, J. (2007). Watson’s theory of human caring and subjective living experiences: carative factors/ caritas processes as a disciplinary guide to the professional nursing practice. Texto & Contexto – Enfermagem, 16 (1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0104-07072007000100016
