Define socialization and apply it to the nursing profession.
Oermann defines socialization as a social process of interaction in which a given individual acquires the knowledge, skills and values needed to function as a member of society. Socialization occurs both in childhood and adulthood.
One component of adult socialization concerns career; this component is often referred to as an individual's professional socialization. It is this component that can be applied to the nursing profession.
Professional socialization, according to Oermann, refers to the process of social interactions in which one learns the roles and values associated with a given profession. Applied to nursing, it can be stated that the nurse undergoes a series of social interactions that leads to the development of the knowledge and skills associated with the practice. Moreover, the nurse internalizes norms and values set for the profession, integrating these into his/her own personal code of conduct. There is also an amplification of the construct of "self" that occurs whereby the self now comes to include one's role as a nurse.
As to those agencies, institutions, and situations most contributive to the socialization of nurses, Oermann reports that these tend to be: (1) those educational institutions where nurses learn knowledge and skills associated with the profession (be these knowledge/skills associated with an undergraduate or graduate degree); and (2) those work settings such as clinics or hospitals where the actual practice of nursing occurs. Often professional socialization can change as one shifts from educational to work settings or from work settings back again to educational settings.
2.Using one model of socialization discussed in the readings, apply concepts to the professional status of an RN.
Perry's (1970) model of professional socialization focuses almost entirely on the cognitive development of nurses. This model...