THE OBJECTIVE & CHARACTERISTICS OF NURSING

Nursing is a noble and essential profession that plays a vital role in the healthcare industry. The primary objective of nursing is to promote and maintain health, prevent illness, and provide care and comfort to those who are suffering. The characteristics of nursing are what make it a unique and valuable profession, including the blend of science and art, holistic and client-centered care, and the use of advanced knowledge and judgment making skills. In this context, this article will explore the objectives and characteristics of nursing in more detail.

OBJECTIVES OF NURSING

Nursing services aim to assist individuals, whether they are ill or well, in performing activities that contribute to their health, recovery, or peaceful death. The goal is to support individuals to become independent as quickly as possible. The objectives of nursing services can be divided into primary and secondary categories.

The primary objective is to provide high-quality, individualized nursing care services in an economical manner to patients.

secondary objectives include providing preventive, promotive, restorative, and rehabilitative services to both indoor and outdoor clients.

The major objectives of nursing services are as follows:

• Provide the highest quality of nursing care to clients in hospitals or communities.
• Use a conceptual framework as the foundation for all nursing services.
• Implement strategies that promote quality, cost-effective care to all clients.
• Hold middle management accountable for the quality and appropriateness of nursing activities.
• Organize the nursing component at the operational level effectively.
• Utilize available resources in the best possible way to optimize patient care and avoid non-nursing duties.
• Plan nursing personnel's time and work assignments for optimal staff utilization to provide nursing care.
• Foster an environment that encourages staff involvement in decision-making to enhance care quality.
• Encourage effective participation of nurses through teamwork.
• Coordinate nursing personnel's activities for the smooth functioning of the department.
• Collaborate with other health team members to ensure an integrated approach.
• Maintain effective public relations through clear communication.
• Evaluate nursing care delivery modalities based on changing consumer needs and nursing resources available.
• Analyse and evaluate nursing performance to ensure quality patient care.
• Improve nursing care techniques through efficient supervision.
• Expand interdisciplinary health team approaches to evaluate patient care.
• Adhere to established nursing practice standards.
• Provide training to nursing students and auxiliary workers.
• Develop nursing personnel through in-service education programs and motivation.
• Expand hospital health education programs.
• Evaluate nursing service quality.
• Assist and contribute to research in the nursing service, education, and administration fields.
• Ensure adequate budgeting and financial control.
• Develop a quality documentation system.

Nursing services emphasize the importance of a team effort to achieve healthcare goals. Nurses recognize that patients are the central figure in nursing and provide them with opportunities to serve.

CHARACTERISTIC OF NURSING

Nursing is a unique profession that requires a combination of art and science, along with a passion for caring and helping others. Nurses play a crucial role in healthcare, serving as patient advocates, educators, and care coordinators. In this context, it is essential to understand the key characteristics of nursing that define this profession's scope and provide a foundation for its practice. The main characteristic of nursing is as follows:

1. Nursing is caring for/ nurturing: Nursing involves providing care and support to individuals who are in need of physical, emotional, or psychological assistance. This may include administering medication, performing medical procedures, or simply providing a listening ear.
2. It is an art: Nursing involves using creativity and intuition to provide care that is tailored to each individual patient. It requires compassion, empathy, and sensitivity.
3. It is a science: Nursing is based on scientific principles and evidence-based practice. It involves applying knowledge from various fields such as anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and psychology to provide safe and effective care.
4. Nursing is a vocation: Nursing is more than just a job. It is a calling that requires dedication, commitment, and a desire to help others.
5. Nursing is client-oriented: Nursing is focused on meeting the needs of the patient. This requires building a strong relationship with the patient and understanding their individual needs and preferences.
6. It is holistic: Nursing considers the whole person, including their physical, emotional, and social needs. It involves looking beyond the patient's immediate health concerns and considering their overall well-being.
7. This is adaptive: Nursing is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of patients and the healthcare system. It requires adaptability and a willingness to learn and grow.
8. Nursing is comprehensive: Nursing involves providing a wide range of services to meet the complex needs of patients. This may include health education, counseling, and coordination of care.
9. It is a helping profession: Nursing is focused on helping others. This requires a desire to serve others and a commitment to making a positive difference in people's lives.
10. Nursing is concerned with health promotion, health maintenance, and health restoration: Nursing is focused on promoting health, preventing illness, and restoring health when necessary. This requires a strong understanding of health and wellness and the ability to provide personalized care that meets the individual needs of patients.
11. It is goal-directed to human service: Nursing is focused on achieving specific goals that are designed to meet the needs of the patient. This requires a clear understanding of the patient's needs and the ability to develop a care plan that addresses those needs.
12. Nursing is scientific care of the sick: Nursing involves applying scientific principles to provide care to individuals who are sick or injured. This requires a strong understanding of anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and other medical sciences.
13. It can be either preventive or therapeutic: Nursing can be focused on preventing illness or promoting wellness, or it can be focused on providing therapeutic care to individuals who are sick or injured.
14. Nursing is educative: Nursing involves educating patients and their families about their health and wellness. This requires strong communication skills and the ability to explain complex medical information in a way that is easy to understand.
15. Demonstration of advanced knowledge and judgment making skills: Nursing requires advanced knowledge and strong decision-making skills. This requires the ability to assess patient needs, develop a care plan, and make decisions that are in the best interest of the patient.

Nursing is a unique profession that combines both art and science. It is client-oriented, holistic, and adaptive, and focuses on promoting, maintaining, and restoring health. Nursing requires advanced knowledge and judgment-making skills and is both a vocation and a helping profession.

CONCLUSION

The objective of nursing is to promote health, prevent illness, and provide care and support to individuals, families, and communities. To achieve this objective, nursing is characterized as a caring and nurturing profession that combines both art and science. Nursing is client-oriented, holistic, adaptive, comprehensive, and goal-directed, aimed at promoting health, restoring health, and maintaining health. Nursing is a helping profession that involves the application of advanced knowledge, judgment, and education to provide scientific care to the sick, and preventive and therapeutic interventions to individuals and communities.