Nurses and Empowerment: Empowering and Being Empowered Essay Example

must help the client regain health” with this mindset the nurse enters into a collaborative relationship with the client, where the client plays the part of an equal partner and, an active (receiving/giving information) participant in regaining health (Kuokkanen & Leino-Kipi, 2000).The active participation of the client in regaining health, and creating a client- nurse setting, is a advancement of client empowerment from the traditional passive patient, nurse-patient setting, where the client would be on the receiving end of the relationship, and depend entirely on the care-giver to help him/her regain health (Dann & Nyatanga, 2002). In a nurse-client relationship however, power is shared, there is mutual respect, trust, equality, and understanding of client health-care needs (Dann & Nyatanga, 2002).The nurse does not simply take over and assume what is right for the client, but participates in a collaboration of ideas, views and opinions. The final decision (after being appropriately informed about the positive and negative of a situation) is left to the client, unless the client is unable to make his or her decisions (Gibson, 1990).

In order for mutual understanding to take place there must be self-awareness on the part of the nurse (Gibson, 1990).The nurse must be aware, about personal values, views and opinions, but also realize that the client as an individual also has personal values and opinions, which must be recognized, and respected. The nurse must care about the client, (and therefore properly inform the client about the situation) but the nurse must also know when to step back and respect the clients’ decision as well informed and thought out, this helps avoid value conflicts and promotes open mindedness (Gibson

1990).Some hurdles, which nurses must overcome, to better facilitate empowerment within a nurse-client relationship, is to first and foremost replace the word ‘patient’ with ‘client’. Using ‘client’ instead of patient brings the client to the same status of the nurse in the relationship; it also replaces the image of the patient who was confined with the “sick role” (being dependent on care giver), with the image of an active participant in the process of healing (Gibson, 1990).Nurses must also avoid the usage of authoritative leadership with clients, where the nurse thinks, and does for the client unnecessarily, forcing client dependency (Dam & Nyatanga, 2002).

This type of leadership restricts freedom and action of the client, and promotes a dominating and overpowering image of the nurse, where the nurse thinks she knows best (Dam & Nyatanga, 2002). When nurses take on a non-authoritarian role with the client, where they enable support, plan, and facilitate self-healing, they help develop awareness about the root of the cause, and necessary actions to eliminate it (Gibson, 1990).With empowering, nurses give their client a sense of social justice, minimizing the clients feeling of debt, and accepting help (Gibson 1990). Nurses Being Empowered The other important empowerment concept in the profession of nursing is the empowerment of nurses themselves. The empowerment of nurses is now coming into full focus, as the nursing workplace changes from a technical, and occupational field into a professional workforce, as entry to practice requirements have been heightened to a degree in nursing (Kerfoot, 2004).

Empowerment of nurses, like empowerment of client, holds the importance of autonomy and independence. Except nurses are empowered by their environment, setting, management, and

colleagues (Lashinger & Wong, 1999). Whereas client empowerment was a little more direct, being mainly empowered through the nurse (Gibson, 1990). Empowerment outcomes in the nurses’ context are defined as the increased productivity, effectiveness of health care and meeting of organizational goals in the work environment (Katalisto, Kuokkanen & Leino-Kipi, 2000).A nurses empowerment is mainly defined by the use of Kanters theory of organizational empowerment, where in order to feel empowered the nurse must be able to have access to information, support, recourses, and opportunities to grow and develop within the nursing environment (Lashinger & Wong, 1999).

These empowering structures when present have a personal effect on the nurse, which causes the nurse to have more feelings of independence, and self-efficiency, which, allow the nurse to effectively get the job done, without any doubts or misunderstandings (Lashinger & Wong, 1999).Empowerment of nurses also causes accountability, which is the ability to give explanation for ones actions. Accountability is becoming more and more detrimental to the health field, and is playing a bigger role in the outcome of empowerment, as heath demands have risen, the clients want to know what is going on, and why its happening; it furthers client empowerment, as client is taking interest and part in self-healing, and accountability makes for a better educated nurse (Lashinger & Wong).Education causes knowledge and skill, which allow the nurse to first provide healthcare, and second know the reason behind what he/she is doing, which empowers the nurse, as knowledge is a precursor to feeling in control (REFERENCE). An accountable nurse best qualifies as an empowered nurse, because the nurse knows what’s going on, why he/she is doing

something a certain way, and can provide an explanation for a judgment if questioned, which promotes true professional practice, as it supports the nurses ability to act by professional knowledge and skills, which in turn upports work autonomy, and control over the nurses practice (Lashinger & Wong).

One of the major hurdles in the empowerment of nurses is the tendency to rely on the management. True empowerment of nurses, is when they make independent choices, based on professional knowledge and skill, and are held accountable for the health outcome of the client instead of the management (Lashinger & Wong).By taking accountability for client health outcomes, nurses are being more autonomous and independent, which eliminates hierarchy in the nursing profession (Kerfoot, 2004). This should eliminate subordination of nurses to management, and introduce the concept of shared governing roles, which give nurses a common identity, goal, and increase collaboration between these two groups until nurses and management are no longer acting as two different groups, but as one body, which holds the main goal of providing quality health care for clients (Kerfoot, 2004).

Collaboration between nurses and nurse management would require managers to let do of traditional controlling goals, and enter into a new relationship, which gives nurses the equal status of management (Lashinger & Wong). Advancement, and development in the field of nursingrequires nurses to empower, and become empowered. It is not simply the process of giving and taking power, it is an outcome where the empowered perceive a sense of higher control. The felling of perceived control is created by shared and available knowledge, and the feeling of self-worth (Lewis & Urmston, 2000).

Hindrance of empowerment is

caused by hierarchy within the situation, whether it is between the client and nurse, or the client and management/organization. Passiveness, where the person who is being empowered does not participate in the empowering situation, or the opposite; dominance where authoritarian relationships cause inferior/superior levels, and dependency of the inferior. Both the empowered and the empowering must be active participants, and equal partners in the relationship, which reciprocates mutuality, trust and communication.In an empowering relationship the nurse should strive for accountability, responsibility, and autonomy, through factors such as knowledge and skill, to better enhance their output into the nursing environment, in the situation the nurse should also facilitate empowerment, to help the client gain the same status as the nurse in the relationship to enhance self-healing, and open lines of communication.

The Nurse has the role of being both the empowered and empowerer in nursing situations ReferencesGibson, H. C. (1991). A concept analysis of empowerment. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 16, 354-361.

Retrieved October 11, 2004 from EBSCO database Hawks, H. I. (1992). Empowerment in nursing education: concept analysis and application to philosophy, learning and instruction. Journal of Advance Nursing, 17, 601-618. Retrieved October 24, 2004 from EBSCO database.

Katalisto, J. , Kuokkanen, L. , & Leino-Kipi, H. (2003). Nurse empowerment, job-related satisfaction, and organizational commitment.

Journal of Advanced Nursing Care Quality, 18, 184-193. Retrieved October 24, 2004 from ProQuest database. Kerfoot, K. (2004).

Leading the leaders: the challenge of leading an empowered organization. Urologic Nursing, 24, 224-227. Retrieved October 24, 2004 from ProQuest database. Kuokkanen, L. , & Leino-Kipi, H.

(2002). Empowerment in nursing: the role of philosophical and psychological factors. Nursing Philosophy, 3, 234-239. Retrieved October

11, 2004 from EBSCO database. Lashinger, S. K.

H. , & Wong, C. (1999).Staff nurse empowerment and collective accountability: effect on perceived productivity and self-rated work effectiveness.

Nursing Economics, 17, 308-318. Retrieved October 24, 2004 from ProQuest database. Lewis, M. , & Urmston, J. (2000).

Flogging the dead hose: the myth of nursing empowerment? Journal of Nursing Management, 8, 209-218. Retrieved October 20, 2004 from EBSCO database. Nyatanga, L. , & Dann, L. K.

(2002). Empowerment in nursing: the role of philosophical and psychological factors. Nursing Philosophy, 3, 234-239. Retrieved October 11, 2004 from EBSCO database.