Social Justice in Nursing Essay

Introduction

A Coat of Arms is a combination of various symbols that illustrate the values or qualities of a group, individual, or profession. This paper will highlight the qualities represented in my group's Coat of Arms assignment. Three of these qualities will be discussed and analyzed in depth to explain their relevance to nursing.

Core Elements of Our Coat of Arms

The Coat of Arms developed by my group consists of five elements: Nightingale birds, a river, a dreamcatcher, evergreen trees, and a Dwennimmen. My contribution to the Coat of Arms was the Nightingale birds. All five aspects come together, in the shape of a puzzle, to represent social justice advocacy, knowledge, altruism, resilience, and cultural humility (See Template). The Nightingale birds symbolize social justice advocacy because, Florence Nightingale herself was a firm believer in challenging social inequalities (Potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall, 2019). In addition, birds are known for their ways of communicating, which too is a critical aspect of social justice advocacy. A river symbolizes knowledge because the development of nursing knowledge is similar to the way a river will start as a stream and eventually venture out to become part of a lake or ocean. All nurses begin their careers as novices, but over time gain vast amounts of knowledge and experience, to finally become experts in their practice. In Native American culture, dreamcatchers are recognized as items that protect and provide, which is why we decided that it would be an appropriate symbol to embody altruism (Oberholtzer, 2012). The protective and caring qualities of a dreamcatcher correspond with the altruistic behavior of a nurse. We chose the evergreen trees to represent resilience because, unlike many trees that lose their leaves in the colder months, evergreens retain their pines all year long. Resilience can be translated to the nursing profession because, in the workplace, nurses experience many stressors that need to be managed. Cultural humility is represented by a Dwennimmen because according to the African culture, it symbolizes the humility that rams display (Labi, 2009). Nurses need to exhibit cultural humility by being respectful of the cultural values of a patient, even though their values may be incongruent with the patient.

In-Depth Analysis of Three Nursing Qualities

Social justice advocacy. Florence Nightingale's legacy has become foundational for the nursing profession, especially in terms of social justice advocacy. Nightingale understood that the living circumstances of an individual can constrain their health (Hegge, 2011). Social justice issues must be addressed to eliminate any health disparities. Nurses should actively participate in social justice advocacy because they are the health care providers who work closest with the patient. If a nurse cannot advocate social justice for their client, they limit their ability to provide patients with the best care possible. Furthermore, throughout history, nurses have played a pivotal role in advocating for all members of the community by communicating. During the Crimean War, Nightingale insisted that the wounded soldiers be treated with dignity. As a result, she was able to nurse thousands of soldiers back to health (Potter et al., 2019). Due to the power imbalance present between the healthcare system and the patient, nurses are obligated to advocate for the patient, especially because they are vulnerable. When health reform is being debated, it is nurses who communicate on behalf of the patients who cannot speak for themselves.

Altruism. In nursing, the principle of altruism encompasses an unselfish concern and devotion to the welfare of others (Milton, 2012). This concern applies to clients, other nurses, and other healthcare providers. When nurses first encounter their patients, the patient is usually not in their optimal state of health. Biomedically, altruism is demonstrated when nurses offer specialized knowledge to contribute to the well-being of those who have a medical diagnosis (Milton, 2012). In practice, nurses are expected to provide care and protection for their patients without expecting any compensation or reward. Nurses will selflessly serve and offer their expertise solely for the benefit and well-being of others. Altruistic behavior can also be exhibited by nurses when they act as mentors. Nurses who mentor will guide and share their knowledge with others so that those individuals can be successful in their nursing careers.

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Resilience. Resilience refers to the ability of an individual to cope successfully with adverse circumstances (Manomenidis, Panagopoulou, & Montgomery, 2019). Due to the number of difficult situations that can occur in the workplace, nurses are at risk of burnout, which can lead to the development of both psychological and physical problems. Effectively practicing resilience protects the nurse against nursing turnover. The ability to mitigate the negative impact of workplace stressors has also been linked to favorable patient outcomes (Manomenidis et al., 2019). For instance, if a patient is deteriorating quickly in front of a nurse, they can use their resilience to cope with the situation effectively and provide the care that the patient needs. A nurse who lacks resilience may not be able to think or act appropriately in the face of an emergency, which can, unfortunately, lead to unfavorable patient outcomes.

My Evolving Perspective of the Three Qualities

Social justice advocacy. Before researching social justice advocacy, I saw the concept as simply seeing injustice and addressing it. After further research, my understanding of how Florence Nightingale advocated for those who were seen as undeserving of her care, solidified to me the importance of social justice advocacy in nursing practice today. Since there are so many health disparities, a nurse must care for those who don’t have the privilege or accessibility to healthcare facilities. Throughout my nursing career I plan to actively participate in discussions concerning the healthcare system to better the health of the community.

Altruism. Before performing research on altruism, I thought of it as just another way to describe the quality of caring. As I continued to research I began to understand that altruism goes beyond caring. Altruism can provide a framework for the way nurses deliver care by being a motivational factor. In the clinical setting, nurses can choose to provide non-personalized care for their patients, which requires little effort, or they can take the time to get to know their patients and develop a personalized care plan. Nurses who choose to go beyond what is expected of them for the sake of the patient truly embody altruism, since this act ultimately does not result in any physical reward or compensation.

Resilience. Doing research has allowed me to develop my perspective of resilience as a nursing quality. Beforehand, I saw resilience only in the context of being beneficial to the patient. Although I understood that nursing burnout existed, I never made a connection between nursing burnout and resilience, and how resilience could protect against it. I now understand that if a nurse possesses resilience they will be more likely to cope with challenging situations effectively, therefore protecting themselves from becoming burnt out and allowing them to provide the proper care for their patients.

Conclusion

By combining nursing qualities in a Coat of Arms, my group and I were able to illustrate nursing within an art piece. Further discussion and analysis of specific qualities have allowed me to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for nursing as a profession.