Who am I as a professional?

What is the definition of a professional? Oxford Dictionaries define a professional as "a paid occupation, especially one that involves prolonged training and a formal qualification".

Part of being a Registered Nurse comes with belonging to several professional organizations. First and foremost, I belong to the College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (CRNM). This is the organization who I hold my nursing license to practice with. Their mandate is to protect and serve the public while establishing and maintaining nursing licensure in the province. They are responsible setting out guidelines and practice standards for all Registered Nurses practicing with in Manitoba. For part of my licensing I belong through that to the Canadian Nurses Protective Society (CNPS). This organization is there to assist me in the event I need legal advice or council. This is not negotiable in Manitoba though we can choose from a couple of different protection groups, in order for us to practice nursing in Manitoba we must have protection insurance. I belong as well to Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba (ARNM). This is an organization that supports not only RN’s but LPN’s, NP’s, RPN’s, graduate nurses and former nurses. They are responsible for inspiring and promoting policy and procedures for nurses and providing a voice for nurses in the profession (ARNM, 2016). I also am part of the Manitoba Nurse Union (MNU). The union allows us as nurse to voice concerns that affect us in our profession. The union protects me and advocates for me as a nurse on a variety of different levels. The Canadian Respiratory Network is a professional organization I belong to the accredits me as a Certified Asthma Educator (CAE). I must renew every 5 years or I lose that accreditation.

In my current role as nurse consultant I have the pleasure of working with a multitude of different professionals. In my role as the transition nurse I have the opportunity to work with our in house physicians/Nurse Practitioners, RN’s LPN’s Unit managers, pharmacists, social work, other health care agencies, pediatricians, and a variety other professions depending on the individual I am transitioning to the community and their current health needs ie Diabetic Educators. The other part of my role is flying into the northern reserves in Manitoba to provide education and training to families and nursing stations on complex medical needs of children in their community. These referrals may come in the form from the community themselves or from a hospital or organization they are being discharged from. Here I work with a variety of professions again depending on the needs of the child being addressed. For example, I will work with Neurologists if I am educating and supporting a child with Epilepsy or seizure disorder. I also may consult with the endocrinology team at Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg if I am helping to support a child with Diabetes or Septo Optic Dysplasia. Through the Jordan’ Principle program there is multiple service providers that I interact with from OT’s, PT’s and SLP’s to teachers to social work, counselling, psychologists and behavior analysts.

I am so fortunate to be able to work with a variety of different professions. I think what I love most is I am always learning and being able to see different side of things thus being able to treat and support a patient/client/individual as a whole and not just from my perspective. It really is a team approach and an approach to holistic care of each person’s unique needs.

As a professional I want to be the best that I can be at the job I have. I believe my professional identity coincides with my personal identity. Each complement each other and play a role in who I am. For me, I must include a humanistic approach in the individuals I care for. There is a definitive line that cannot be crossed but relating to those you are caring for is very important so showing a personal side with your professional, I believe, is okay. Being a professional holds me to a higher standard in my personal life as well. As much as my personal life may crossover into my professional, my professional life also plays a role into my personal life. I must be careful in how I represent myself as a professional around those that I socialize with personally ie confidentiality.

References

College of Registered Nurses of Manitoba (2020) About the College

https://www.crnm.mb.ca/about/college

Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba (2016). Role of the Association

https://www.arnm.ca//