CAREERS STUDENT LIFE
What caring is all about Read any news article on health care, check an NHS website or read a university course guide and you will probably see references to the need for the NHS, nursing education and care to be based on values. Historically, the professional values of nurses were never called into question; it was assumed that nurses were caring, compassionate, knowledgeable and hard working. But recent failings in some NHS institutions and other healthcare settings have cast doubt on such an assumption. In certain situations and for various reasons, the values on which nursing used to pride itself have been lost and patients and service users have been harmed as a result. Highlighting the professional values of care is a way of reminding nurses of their responsibilities, the expectations of their colleagues and ultimately their reasons for entering the profession in the first place.
Expectations of registered nurses Responsibility for high standards of patient care and dignity Individual accountability for patient safety and wellbeing Honesty and integrity Personal responsibility for professional development Adoption of the 6Cs – care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment Sources: NMC Code (2008) and Compassion in Practice (2012)
CORBIS
The professional values that nurses bring to their work can no longer be taken for granted, says Michael Adams
With nursing education programmes based on values, students are more clear about what is expected of them as nurses. The profession can also be assured that these values are instilled in future nurses before the university recommends that the student is admitted to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register.
Professional working
Although an understanding of values may seem self-evident, there are many different definitions and explanations of the concept. Most descriptions say that professional values are manifest in the way people live and behave at work. Nurses and other healthcare workers are unusual in signing up to defined values by which they agree to comply with professional rules.
In December 2012, the Department of Health set out in Compassion in Practice the 6Cs, clear principles that should underpin nursing care throughout England (see box). Students may be aware of these values as the university and practice placement areas incorporate them into the curriculum and teaching practices of undergraduate nursing programmes. Lecturers, mentors and other assessors will be looking for evidence of the values in students’ practice, attitudes and behaviour. Another vital set of values that students should reflect on is the NMC guidance on professional conduct for nursing and midwifery students, which describes the personal and professional behaviour expected of students. Students are encouraged to reflect on their knowledge and skills as they progress through the course. It is also vital that they take time to contemplate their own values as a nurse and consider whether these mirror the values required by the profession, employers and patients. These values exist for the benefit and protection of patients. Failure to embody them may jeopardise the suitability of graduating students to join the profession. While nursing students may justifiably believe that they hold these values with a passion, they must always actively display them in their actions and behaviour NS Michael Adams is head of the department of practice learning at Birmingham City University
RESOURCES Compassion in Practice www.england.nhs.uk/nursingvision NMC guidance on professional conduct for nursing and midwifery students tinyurl.com/NMC-student-code Student Life on the internet www.nursing-standard.co.uk/students
66 january 22 :: vol 28 no 21 :: 2014 NURSING STANDARD Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 18, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
What caring is all about Read any news article on health care, check an NHS website or read a university course guide and you will probably see references to the need for the NHS, nursing education and care to be based on values. Historically, the professional values of nurses were never called into question; it was assumed that nurses were caring, compassionate, knowledgeable and hard working. But recent failings in some NHS institutions and other healthcare settings have cast doubt on such an assumption. In certain situations and for various reasons, the values on which nursing used to pride itself have been lost and patients and service users have been harmed as a result. Highlighting the professional values of care is a way of reminding nurses of their responsibilities, the expectations of their colleagues and ultimately their reasons for entering the profession in the first place.
Expectations of registered nurses Responsibility for high standards of patient care and dignity Individual accountability for patient safety and wellbeing Honesty and integrity Personal responsibility for professional development Adoption of the 6Cs – care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment Sources: NMC Code (2008) and Compassion in Practice (2012)
CORBIS
The professional values that nurses bring to their work can no longer be taken for granted, says Michael Adams
With nursing education programmes based on values, students are more clear about what is expected of them as nurses. The profession can also be assured that these values are instilled in future nurses before the university recommends that the student is admitted to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register.
Professional working
Although an understanding of values may seem self-evident, there are many different definitions and explanations of the concept. Most descriptions say that professional values are manifest in the way people live and behave at work. Nurses and other healthcare workers are unusual in signing up to defined values by which they agree to comply with professional rules.
In December 2012, the Department of Health set out in Compassion in Practice the 6Cs, clear principles that should underpin nursing care throughout England (see box). Students may be aware of these values as the university and practice placement areas incorporate them into the curriculum and teaching practices of undergraduate nursing programmes. Lecturers, mentors and other assessors will be looking for evidence of the values in students’ practice, attitudes and behaviour. Another vital set of values that students should reflect on is the NMC guidance on professional conduct for nursing and midwifery students, which describes the personal and professional behaviour expected of students. Students are encouraged to reflect on their knowledge and skills as they progress through the course. It is also vital that they take time to contemplate their own values as a nurse and consider whether these mirror the values required by the profession, employers and patients. These values exist for the benefit and protection of patients. Failure to embody them may jeopardise the suitability of graduating students to join the profession. While nursing students may justifiably believe that they hold these values with a passion, they must always actively display them in their actions and behaviour NS Michael Adams is head of the department of practice learning at Birmingham City University
RESOURCES Compassion in Practice www.england.nhs.uk/nursingvision NMC guidance on professional conduct for nursing and midwifery students tinyurl.com/NMC-student-code Student Life on the internet www.nursing-standard.co.uk/students
66 january 22 :: vol 28 no 21 :: 2014 NURSING STANDARD Downloaded from RCNi.com by ${individualUser.displayName} on Nov 18, 2015. For personal use only. No other uses without permission. Copyright © 2015 RCNi Ltd. All rights reserved.
