Competency in a profession
Competency in a profession or an occupation entails the quality of having a combination of knowledge, skills, values, attitude and the abilities that are necessary to make an individual adequate or superior (Tilley, 2008). Having a competent nurse is a quality that is well acknowledged and sought by almost all the health care facilities. Competence is an idea that entails having the skills at its core, in a particular clinical skill that would make a nurse the best. Therefore, for a nurse to be competent, he/she has to be properly qualified5, adequate and also sufficient for the role of nursing. Hence, the article seeks to outline some of the ways of determining and maintenance of the competency among nurses.
According to the ANMC (2006), the competency in nursing can be achieved through various domains. One of the domain is through professional practice. In the professional practice, a nurse has to practice in line with the set legislations and ethics that relates to the healthcare system. Therefore, practicing while abiding by the two components of legislation and standards of nursing makes a competent nurse as they are at times both the moral and legal conflicts can complicate the decision-making process while they are on duty. For a nurse to be considered as competent, he/she has to be one who can make the right decision in regards to a good time to apply either the legal or moral dimension in the decision making during the practice.
Competency can also be maintained by attending both the formal and informal pieces of training and some orientations. Competence is all about seeking a continuous knowledge in a field for a professional to build well-founded skills that can assist in coping with the dynamism in the healthcare system (Blais & Hayes, 2015). Therefore, continuing training facilitate the process of making the nurse knowledgeable and informed of the contemporary nursing techniques and trends. Additionally, with the current technology and even the skyrocketing rise in the need for high-quality care, every nurse has to be very keen to upgrade the level of competency that is expected of them.
Another domain that helps in ensuring that there is competency in nursing is through the promotion and improvement of the practice by engaging in leadership activities ((Tilley, 2008). Some of the experienced nurses or practitioners can train and coach some of the junior colleagues to ensure that there is a smooth patient care within the facilities. However, the experienced professionals also have to have the necessary leadership skills for them to lead the junior nurses.
In summary, a true professional nurse who is considered as competent should be a practitioner with the combination of the evidence-based knowledge and the necessary skills. A nurse also has to be conversant with the cultural diversities and how they may affect some of the care they offer to the patients. Practicing in line with the legal and nursing ethics makes a great nurse and one that does not abide by such regulations automatically disqualify as being a competent nurse.
Finally, leadership also assist in offering guidance and coaching to some of the junior nursing officers that are still new to the field as they get orientations from several seniors who are qualified and skilled practitioners. These competency standards may be idealistic, but they are still realistic and attainable for any nurse or a group of nurses that would want to maintain competency among themselves.
References
Blais, K. & Hayes S, J. (2015). Professional Nursing Nactice: Concepts and perspectives. 6th Ed. Pearson. Retrieved on 17th February, 2017 from: https://www.pearsonhighered.com/product/Blais-Professional-Nursing-Practice-Concepts-and-Perspectives-6th-Edition/9780135080900.html
Council, M. (2006). ANMC National Competency Standards for the Nurse Practitioner.
Tilley, D. D. S. (2008). Competency in nursing: A concept analysis. The journal of continuing education in nursing, 39(2), 58-64.
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