Professional Goals and Values-Task 1 Assignment
WGU C304
Nursing Theory
One theory that has mainly influenced my values and goals as a professional nurse is Dorothea Orem's self-care deficit theory. The theory highlights that when a patient has a deficit in their ability to do things for themselves, it is the nurse's responsibility to help fill in and improve those deficits (Cherry & Jacob, 2017, p.84). The reason that this influenced me is that it helped give me a guide on how to approach patient care. I can now look at each patient and find the areas there is a deficit that I can help improve. It also helps me look at the patient, not just the symptoms.
Application of Nursing Theory
I think the self-care deficit theory can be implemented by creating a care plan that fosters independence. First, nurses need to find the deficits and evaluate how much they can be improved. Can a patient return to full function, or do there need to be adjustments to daily living to enhance operation? Once those needs are identified, the nurse can use this theory to provide care that improves the patient's function. This, in turn, provides excellent patient care.
Nursing Theory in Professional Practice
This theory fits into my professional practice daily. As I said above, I first identify the deficits and then look at how much function I can restore to this patient. For example, I work on a trauma floor. So each trauma patient comes with self-care deficits. So if I have a patient with rib fractures, I would see a deficiency in the ability to move the upper chest and issues with deep breathing. I would then create a plan to improve those deficits until the patient is at full function. I use this same plan repeatedly and adapt it to whatever debt happens.
Historical Nursing Figures
One nursing figure that I feel is an important historical figure in nursing is Florence Nightingale. She pioneered the nursing career. Some of her contributions to the nursing profession are the idea of infection control and transcribing patient records and orders (Cherry & Jacob, 2017, p. 7). Another important historical figure is Lilian Wald. Her main contributions to nursing were focused in public health nursing. She first started the focus on prevention nursing. For example, she created well-baby visits, education, and disease prevention (Cherry & Jacob, 2017, p. 10).
Differences in Historical Figures
I think one of the main differences between these two historical nursing figures is that Nightingale was focused on creating a standard for nursing and infection prevention in an inpatient setting. Wald focused on improvement in nursing care. She looked at the current system and wanted to find a way to prevent inpatient admissions. Both women were looking to improve healthcare, so they have that in common. I think that the differences in their contributions also had to do with timing. Nightingale was starting a true nursing profession. Wald had an establis...
