What is Nursing Professionalism?
Cathy Soto
Nursing 408 Transitions in Professional Nursing
Linda Jacobson
9/21/2011

Abstract According to Maister (1997) "true professionalism means the pursuit of excellence, not just competence". Nurses must be competent in their pursuit of excellence. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Position Statement, rapidly expanding clinical knowledge and mounting complexities in health care mandate that professional nurses possess educational preparation commensurate with the diversified responsibilities required of them. Preparation of the entry level professional nurse requires a greater orientation to community-based primary health care and an emphasis on health …show more content…

I liked the interaction with fellow students and other nurses. I envied the instructors and thought that maybe someday I could teach nursing to students. It has been many years since graduation and I have gained countless hours of experience. I have enjoyed sharing experience and stories with new nursing students during clinical hours at my hospital. Therefore, the return to college to obtain my Bachelor's in Nursing is just a step to a long term goal of someday being able to teach and mentor nursing students. I have great support from my family, friends, and co-workers. I am finding that a lot of my co-workers are also in school pursuing higher levels of education. In the article Integrating the Core Professional Values of Nursing: a Profession, Not Just a Career written by H.K. Shaw and C. DeGazon professors from Hunter College of the City University of New York, they proposed that the core professional values of nursing were a foundation of the nursing profession. They integrated the core values into the curriculum of the Becoming Excellent Students in Transition to Nursing (BEST) program. BEST provides students with resources and services to ensure their retention in the baccalaureate program and subsequently, their professional success. (Shaw & Degazon, 2008). Students informed faculty of some of the difficulties faced with in transitioning into professional nursing. Therefore core values were introduced and subsequently helped to improve