UNIT 5: PROFESSIONAL NURSING ASSOCIATIONS

Key Unit Competence 

Explain functions and roles of professional Nursing associations

5.0 Introductory activity

Look at the following image of the nurses in the nurses in the same room and one of them is having a speech. Read the following case study

Mrs.Y. a 32 years old female client, have undergone a surgical intervention for intestinal obstruction. During the immediate postoperative period, the client has complained of abdominal pain, vomiting and pain not controlled before she left the recovery room. She called the nurse who is working in post-operative room complaining for increasing abdominal pain and vomiting, weakness and significant fatigue. The nurse assigned to monitor clients after surgery would like to follow the post operative pain management protocol but there was no pain killer available in the service as it happened to many others clients and the nurse was really frustrated. The caregiver also go to ask to the nurse at least to have a medical order to buy medication out off the hospital. The nurse inform the doctor for the family wishes but the surgeon did not pay attention on the case. This case is an example of the nurse disappointment in the workplace and lack of client satisfaction towards nursing provision of care which are not linked to the nurse’s incompetence and which leads to client dissatisfaction

1) Identify 3 issues that nurses may discuss about in nurses meeting.

2) What would be the Professional Nursing associations’ roles in promoting the nursing profession?

3) Has the family member right to complain for insufficient medical and nursing care?

5.1. Functions and roles of nursing regulatory body

Learning activity 5.1

The nursing profession has special obligations that aim to provide high quality of care and particularly protect the public against harmful practice 

After reading the functions of the regulatory body of nurses and midwives, discuss the importance of the regulatory and the ultimate necessity to be registered in it. Use the following link: https://www.ncnm.rw/

Nursing Regulatory Bodies (NRBs) are jurisdictional governmental agencies that are responsible for the regulation of nursing practice. NRBs achieve this mission by outlining the standards for safe nursing care and issuing licenses to practice nursing.

• Main roles of regulatory bodies

• To Monitor and enforce standards of nursing education 

• To establish code of ethics and professional conduct

• To monitor and maintain standard of nursing practice

• To ensure the public rights to quality health care services

• To support and assist professional members

• Set the requirement for registration of nursing professionals

• Licensing of nurses

Nursing Council of Nurses And Midwives (NCNM) 

Vision: The vision of the council is to create an environment where nursing and midwifery practice in Rwanda will be the safest and of the highest quality in the region and beyond 

Mission: The mission of the Council is to protect the public and the integrity of the nursing and midwifery professions through the regulation of education and practice in collaboration with all stakeholders as well as the community within available resources.

• Core values: Respect, Integrity, Professionalism

Functions of NCNM 

The principal function of the Council is to protect the public from harmful or unprofessional practices by ensuring that clients receive care from competent and ethically behaved nurses and midwives. 

• The National Council set standards of professional education, practice including professional conduct of nurses and midwives and determine their scope of practice. 

• The National Council ensure that the public receives care from only nurses and midwives who meet the required qualifications for provision of safe and effective care.

In order to ensure that educational and practice standards are met, the NCNM carries out the following: 

a) Set up educational standards 

• Establish pre-requisites for entry to the nursing and midwifery professions 

• Set standards for opening and running nursing and midwifery institutions/ programmers 

• Approve programmer curricula 

• Collaborate with relevant educational establishments that have quality of education in their responsibilities 

• Audit and approve nursing and midwifery educational institutions or programme 

• Monitor regularly nursing and midwifery educational institutions to ensure that they continue to meet the set standards 

• Take appropriate measures for the institutions that do not meet the standards

b) Set standards of Practice

• Register and issue certificates to all eligible nurses and midwives

• Issue and renew licenses to only those who continue to meet practice standards

• Withdraw license from anyone who abrogates the code of professional conduct

• Ensure that nurses and midwives continue to demonstrate that their professional knowledge is updated in relation to areas of their practice 

International Council for Nursing (ICN): the ICN is a federation of more than 130 national nurses’ associations, representing the more than 27 million nurses worldwide

ICN Mission: to represent nursing worldwide, advance the nursing profession, promote the wellbeing of nurses, and advocate for health in all policies. 

ICN Vision: the global community recognizes, supports, and invests in nurses and nursing to lead and deliver health for all.

Self-assessment 5.1

In Rwanda, the ministerial order has put in place a regulatory body which is still functioning for nurses and midwives 

 1) Explain 2 functions of a regulatory body in nursing 

 2) List 2 consequences which may arise in nursing practice if the regulatory body is not established 

3) Is each nurse or midwife need to register in the regulatory body? Explain briefly why 

 4) What would be the role of regulatory body in case of violation of professional code of conduct?

5.2. Associations

Learning activity 5.2

Visit this site and state missions of this organization:https://rnmu.rw/

What are the roles of nursing association?

A Regulatory body is different from association as in association, a person is free to be member but in Regulatory body, there is obligation to registered and recognized.

Rwanda Nurses And Midwives’ Union (RNMU)

Functions of professional Nursing and midwifery associations 

Vision 

The vision of RNMU is to protect the Professional image, improve Socio-EconomicWelfare, and promote the interests of nurses and midwives

FUNCTIONS OF RNMU

Rwanda Nurses and Midwives Union (RNMU) is a combined professional organization and trade union in place to advocate and protect the nursing and midwifery profession in the aspects of labor, social and economic development.

RNMU has the following objectives: 

– To have an empowered nurse and midwife who is motivated to provide high quality service 

– To advocate for better socio-economic welfare for nurses and midwives

– To promote nursing/midwifery education and research

The RNMU has the following values:

• Dignity & respect of the client 

• To uphold and protect the dignity and respect of every person regardless of their age, sex, race, status or religion

• Unity and Solidarity

• To promote partnership and collaborative working which encourages unity and solidarity at all levels

• Transparency and Accountability

• To be open about out work, transparent about our activities, and accountable to each other, our partners and government, as well as to our funders

• Excellence & Professionalism : all staff, members and volunteers are committed to excellence and professionalism in all they do

• Justice & Democracy

• To speak out for social justice, democracy for every human being in the society

• Participation and Ownership: RNMU uphold every member’s meaningful participation and full ownership of the association’s activities.

Self-assessment 5.2

Explain the following values owned by RNMU

5.3. End unit assessment

End unit assessment

After covering this unit, understanding the functions and roles of professional nursing associations and regulatory bodies, answer to the following questions: 

 1) The collaboration between health workers, patients /clients, families, and society in the provision of quality nursing care as recommended by professional nursing associations is called 

A. Patient bye-laws 

B. Patient charity 

C. Patient responsibilities 

D. Patient rights 

2) The newly licensed nurse begins work at a hospital unit where staff nurses are allowed to start intravenous fluids. The physician orders intravenous fluids to be started on one of this nurse’s assigned clients. Which of the following actions would be most necessary on the part of this newly hired and newly licensed nurse before starting an intravenous on the client to promote the client safety and protect the nurse against any form of malpractice?

 A. Check the hospital policy and check on any certification required 

B. Ask another nurse to do a supervised check on administering IVs 

C. Ask one of your nursing-school instructors to refresh your skill 

D. Take a continuing-education IV course to make sure you have the skills

3) One of the expectations for nurses to join professional association primarily because of

A. Promote advancement and professional growth among its members

B. Works for raising funds for nurse’s benefit

C. Facilitate and establishes acquaintances 

D. Assist them in securing jobs abroad 

4) A confused client who fell out of bed because side rails were not used by the nurse caring the client is an example of which type of liability that professional nursing associations may advocate or not for the nurse ? 

A. Organized physical attack 

B. Intentionally malpractice 

C. Negligence 

D. A crime of high seriousness

5) You are the nurse working with an elderly, competent client who refuses a vitamin B injection ordered by the physician. The 

family insists that this injection be given, and you give it while the client is objecting. Even though the client improves, the client contacts a lawyer. From your knowledge of nursing and the law, you realize that you:

A. Did the right thing because the client improved.

B. Should have had the family put their request in writing.

C. Have committed an assault against the client

D. Should have seek permission from the Physician to give the injection Ans work at a hospital unit where staff nurses are allowed to start intravenous fluids. The physician orders intravenous fluids to be started on one of this nurse’s assigned clients. Which of the following actions would be most necessary on the part of this newly hired and newly licensed nurse before starting an intravenous on the client?

A. Check the hospital policy and check on any certification required

B. Ask another nurse to do a supervised check on administering IVs

C. Ask one of your nursing-school instructors to refresh your skill

The newly licensed nurse begins work at a hospital unit where staff nurses are allowed to start intravenous fluids. The physician orders intravenous fluids to be started on one of this nurse’s assigned clients. Which of the following actions would be most necessary on the part of this newly hired and newly licensed nurse before starting an intravenous on the client? 

A. Check the hospital policy and check on any certification required 

B. Ask another nurse to do a supervised check on administering IVs 

C. Ask one of your nursing-school instructors to refresh your skills

The newly licensed nurse begins work at a hospital unit where staff nurses are allowed to start intravenous fluids. The physician orders intravenous fluids to be started on one of this nurse’s assigned clients. Which of the following actions would be most necessary on the part of this newly hired and newly licensed nurse before starting an intravenous on the client? 

A. Check the hospital policy and check on any certification required 

B. Ask another nurse to do a supervised check on administering IVs 

C. Ask one of your nursing-school instructors to refresh

6) When caring for a terminally ill client, it is important for the nurse to maintain the client’s dignity. This can be facilitated by: 

 A. Making decisions for clients so they do not have to make them 

B. Decreasing emphasis on attending to the clients’ appearance because it only increases their fatigue 

C. Placing the client in a private room to provide privacy at all times 

D. Spending time to let clients share their life experiences 

 7) Nurses as they progress in the education and got more experience in the professional practice, they will most likely do which of the following things: 

 a. Learn to develop more critical thinking skills in nursing 

 b. Become less interested in bedside nursing 

c. Lose the ability to think critically in clinical areas 

d. Have increased enjoyment when doing research

8) Nurses/ midwives are professionals who constantly deal with customers (inside and outside the hospital). Midwife P is on morning shift and one of the patients, Madam K who had severe abdominal pain. The midwife acts to provide pain medication as soon as possible to relieve the patient of the pain. Madam K is booked for an ultra sound scan to help in her diagnosis. The midwife explains to the patient to seek her approval. Patient has repeatedly voiced fear over receiving a diagnosis of cancer, as she believes this is a death sentence. The physician decides not to reveal the diagnosis to the patient after she says she would kill herself if she had cancer. The nurse reveals the diagnostic to the client and this on kill herself. The family raise the complaint to nursing regulatory body. 

 9) State the nature of each sentence and explain it briefly 

 a. Show proof of Excellence & Professionalism 

 b. To establish code of ethics and professional conduct 

 c. To establish code of ethics and professional conduct

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