Reference no: EM133925529

Question

Nursing is dynamic. An infamous phrase. What does this really mean? To me it means that there is constant macro as well as micro changes. These dynamics require critical thinking, continuous educational advancement, and professional accountability. Professional accountability can be attained by adherence to standards of practice and ongoing professional development. Critical thinking is the foundation for success in the clinical practice in order to apply the nursing process effectively. This requires inquisitiveness from the nurse. Nursing experience and ongoing academic advancement increases one's analytical abilities, which naturally advances one's ability to implement evidence-based practice. (Dean et al., 2022)

"It is crucial for nurses to adopt self-care practices that help reduce their stress in order to protect their overall well-being so that they can provide high-quality care for others. Self-care activities include actions nurses perform in an effort to nurture or restore their physical, mental, and spiritual well-being" (Linton, 2020). I find self-care to be extremely difficult to achieve. While I understand stress relief activities like working out or spiritual fulfillment (attending church) are examples of self-care, in acute care nursing I find it difficult to achieve the full enrichment of self-care due to inconsistent schedules and/or hours. For me, not only do I spend 36 hours a week as an "official" caregiver that carries a high stress load, I am also as a single mom of three school aged children who each require care-giving of their own, meaning I find my "unofficial" 132 hours filled finding only time to sleep on the dentist chair (this literally happened today). So where does one find time to make room for this idea of self-care? I am open to suggestions. The bible deems self-care to be important because you should treat you body as the temple that God's spirit resides in. In Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flow from it".