PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY AND VALUES

Nursing is a unique profession where you must give so much of yourself everyday, most often to help someone you have never met before. This desire to care for others, and not just those who ask for help or may seem more deserving, but everyone, is a special quality shared by those in one of the most trusted professions. Nursing core values have integrated with and become my own. These values include: integrity, human dignity, autonomy, altruism, social justice, and equality. I strongly believe that everyone deserves an equal right to healthcare and that I should always put my personal feelings aside during care so that each patient receives the same high level of unbiased care. I am a nurse - it is ingrained into who I am, how I approach the world, and guides my daily interactions with those around me.
I also believe that to keep myself abreast of current nursing initiatives, processes, and techniques, I need to be continuously searching out ways for learning and growth. This is accomplished through school, gleaning information from more seasoned nurses, and never being afraid to ask questions. Saying 'I don't know, but I can find out for you' is not a weakness, but a strength as it provides opportunities for enhanced learning and growth.