Professional Role Socialization (Term Paper Sample)

Professional Role Socialization
Name
Institution of affiliation
Date
Professional Role Socialization
Every nursing student who goes to the field to practice expects to impart the knowledge gained from the class directly to the field in terms of interacting with the patients and helping patients achieve positive health change. However, this is not always the case as nursing is a complex field that needs total interaction with both the patients and the fellow nurses for the sake of work coordination and according to the expected standards. Dinmohammadi, Peyrovi and Mehrdad (2013) define socialization as a process in which one learns the values, rules and statutes necessary for engagement in a social institution. The author argues that socialization is a continuous process, and as one grows older they assume new roles and achieve self-concept. Therefore professional socialization in the nursing field can be defined as the act of learning behaviors, attitudes, skills, norms, values and roles of the nursing profession (Lai & Lim, 2012). For s student nurse to be recognized as a fully established nurse, they have to internalize and synthesize the behavior and roles into a self –concept.
Interprofessional education encourages professional socialization as the learners can understand and appreciate the role of other health professions in relation to their profession. In this way, they can appreciate and understand the importance of building good relation with other workers from other fields in the same health care setting. Workshops also enlighten the learners on their role in the healthcare setting and how well they should interact with the other workers to achieve positive patient feedback. Mentorship programs in the nursing profession also encourage professional socialization. Team meetings are made t help the learners interact freely with their environment in a manner that is environmental friendly, and they can engage the members in constructive discussions that enhance positive socialization and learning.
Part II
Stage I
The stage begins when the practical nurse enters an LPN/LVN to RN nurse program. The nurses enter this stage with different emotions and expectations. There are those who may have practiced for so long and therefore they believe there is nothing more to learn. Others believe that there is more for them to learn and therefore they enter into the program with the attitude of wanting to know more. They will bother the RNs to show them a few things here and there. Others come with the fear of failure because of the anxiety and the roles associated with the RNs.
Stage II
At this stage, the students are presented with more challenging tasks than those that they were subjected to as LPNs. Most students start to doubt their ability at this stage and others feel they better practice as LPNs. At this stage, the students do not score as they used to score as the LPNs, and therefore they start doubting their ability. When presented with analyzing laboratory results and explain the process of a disease most students find it difficult and feel that they cannot make it. Here students are in a series of mixed emotions about their abilities.
Stage III
At this stage, the students start appreciating the role of the RN program and its impact on their life. They start adopting a new style of thinking that is consistent with the new roles that they have to perform as registered nurses. The students start enjoying learning new things and drop the kind of thinking that they had as practicing nurses.
Stage IV
It is the last stage of the RN program. In this stage, the students feel more confident to deal with any health problems because they have gained enough skills and knowledge needed for them to practice. At this stage, the students develop a feeling that every nurse should be an RN nurse because this is the real stage that needs RN knowledge. The students will be incorporating the LPN practice with new thinking d behavior gained from the program. They become m ore confident to face more challenging issues that arise while they are practicing.
Currently, I am under stage II. The RN program is becoming difficult to assimilate because several things that though is not familiar with the normal understanding of the class. The RN program is more complex and feels like dropping at this point. The scores in the course are not encouraging at all, compared to the previous cores this is the program that have scored poorly.
Part III
The transition from the LPN role to the RN role has its challenges that may hinder an individual from achieving stage 4 effectively. The first challenge is the underrating of the LPN in the nursing profession. The LPNs are treated as more of care attainders than learners who can at one point become RNs. In the field, they are looked upon, and their knowledge is not appreciated at all by the RNs. The RNs feel that they are special and in a different field from the LPNs. Therefore, this affects the interaction between the two groups as they find it difficult to coordinate and communicate with the RNs. The feeling of inferiority transfers to the LPNs and this affects their attitude and performance. Their thinking is treated as a non-professional one and, therefore, any suggestion they make may not be appreciated by the RNs.
To deal with the above problems it’s important first to engage the nurses in a positive communication. When one feels they are underrated, then they should communicate their dissatisfaction with the way they are treated. Communication is an integral part towards achieving uniformity in the nursing field. When the LPNs engage the RNs in positive communication and speaking out whenever they feel they are not treated well can result in understanding each other. In the process of communication, they can solve their personal differences that may arise, and this can lead to better team coordination (Mahon & Nicotera, 2011).
Secondly is enhancing respect for all team members. The team members should learn to respect each other irrespective of their level of practice. Respect entails listening to each other what they suggest and also if one does not agree then they should challenge them positively. One should not disregard another nurses suggestion just simply because they are LPN, but rather support their disagreement professionally and with evidence. In this way, the nurses can engage in health discussions that in the end will help the LPN increase their knowledge in the nursing field (Melrose & Wishart, 2013).
Teamwork coordination is also a challenge in achieving the fourth stage. Lack of team work coordination among the care team members affects the students greatly. Based on the fact that the LPN role is underrated, and their knowledge is not acknowledged in the nursing field they will find it difficult to interact with the RNs. Lack of appreciation of their role as practicing nurses affects their transition into the RN. They will lack the confidence of practicing as RNs because they have not been given a chance to practice and input their knowledge into practice fully.
One aspect of dealing with the lack of teamwork coordination is the nurse leaders taking responsibility. Teamwork is an important aspect in achieving positive patient feedback. Without teamwork, the patient will be affected directly or indirectly in the end. Enhancing teamwork can first start with engaging the LPNs in the group meetings. Also assigning them an important task to be achieved by them in the team can be an aspect of engaging them in the team activities. When they are assigned a role to play then, they will feel part of the team and, therefore, dedicate their efforts fully (Kearney-Nunnery, 2010).
Secondly is by appreciating and motivating the team members. When the team members understand that effective working can only be achieved when they coordinate with other members, then positive patina feedback can be achieved. The LPN need to be motivated because they are likely to face challenging tasks that may discourage them from achieving the fourth stage. When they are motivated, the LPNs will develop self-confident in them and feel that they are equal to the task. They will develop a desire to learn and also desire to engage other team members in the learning process. They will inquire what they don’t know and will also socialize with the ...