A nurse is a servant to others. Nursing roots are planted firmly in the service to others mostly the community. The work of a nurse is to help people by serving the heath needs of a society. From the beginning, a nurse has always worked to develop the contributions to the society which involves a mission of service-to-service, delivering vital services to the human welfare and following their code of ethics. It is through the practice of these services that a nurse is able to develop values and ethics of a perfect worker of the community. Therefore, there are varied roles in the community that I am expected to perform as a professional nurse.
First, I am expected to be a natural educator and an advocate of the community in matters concerning health. Through training, I should be able to empower the community in participating in their own care. A Social policy given by the American Nurses Association provides the four essential features in practicing contemporary nursing in a community. First, I should work to draw attention to responses to health issues and illnesses in the community and the human experiences. Second, I should integrate the objective data like the laboratory tests and results to help community people understand their subjective experiences. Third, I should be able to apply the scientific knowledge to treat the health conditions in the community. Finally, I should be able to provide a caring relationship that leads to good health in the community. (Creasia and Parker, 2001).
Additionally, I am expected to be a community health volunteer. The values of professionalism give me direction and guide to how I should behave and make decisions. A nurse should be able to provide care to the community free of charge, respect human dignity, have an empathetic understanding and provide reciprocal trust to members of the society (Creasia and Parker, 2001). In fact, a nurse is used to facing ethical problems in the course of his or her work thus making him or her capable of handling community ethics when volunteering. Therefore, using the nursing ethical principles helps me make decisions as a volunteer. The decision is to help in determining if, in the case of a treatment, the harm outweighs the good. Also, in ensuring resources especially the health one are allocated fairly and in decisions on disclosing information that is sensitive. The veracity principle will help in the volunteer work as it will assist in effective communication. Thus, equipped with all these principles it is my duty to give back to the community.
Lastly, I am expected to provide social justice to the community. Providing services to the society without expecting pay is a core concept in giving social justice to the community. It helps in improving the life situations of people in the community. The concept of social justice arms me with the perspective to realize that members of the society live in settings that are dynamic with many factors affecting their health. Hence, in practicing social justice to the community, I will be able to make real though in small ways a society driven by justice, respect and equality to all.
In conclusion, service to the community as a professional nurse is my calling and it gives me a sense of belonging. I am encouraged to provide service to the community each and every day.
Reference
Creasia, J.L., & Parker, B. (2001). The Bridge to professional nursing practice: The Concept of foundations (3rd Ed.). Mosby: St. Louis.
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