The Nursing Profession

PROBLEMS CONFRONTING PROFESSIONAL NURSING

In mid1990, two problems of significance which will, to a great extent, influence the character of the nursing profession in the future are already evident. One of these problems is the serious shortage of professional nurses which exists in most geographic areas of the United States, but which is particularly acute in rural counties and towns (Higgins, 1990). The second major problem with which professional nursing is concerned with in mid1990 is professional autonomy, as the professional nurse contends with longstanding challenges to the profession's prerogatives from physicians, and with relatively recent challenges involving hospital administrators, and paraprofessional personnel (Scherer, 1988).

FINDINGS (REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE), AND ANALYSIS

The causes of the shortage of professional nurses are many and varied. On one level, the personnel shortage itself is

also a cause, because the stresses introduced into the practice of professional nursing by overwork (resulting from the personnel shortage), in turn, cause many more nurses to leave the profession (Scherer, 1987).

The stresses associated with the contemporary practice of nursing also lead to an increase in the rate of burn

. . .
the relationships between nurses and their colleagues who practice as supervisors and administrators. Nurses have traditionally taken quite seriously their commitment to the general welfare of patients. In this context, the traditional attitude of nurses has been that no changes should be made in the management of the delivery of health care services, if such changes would cause the general public to feel that fiscal and other management considerations take priority over patients' interests with nurses (Sargis, 1985). Similarly, nurses have traditionally resisted any changes in the management of the delivery of health care services which they perceived would undermine their claim to autonomy in practice (Beletz, 1980). The issues of the professional personnel shortage in nurs ing, and professional autonomy in nursing are also interrelated. One of the major reasons professional nurses leave the profession is job dissatisfaction (Huey, 1987). Impingements on their autonomy in the practice of their profession is a major underlying cause of job dissatisfaction among professional nurses (DeBack, & Mentkowski, 1986). When professional nurses reach a point where they are dissatisfied with their job and their role, th
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1807
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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