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There are five graded Discussion Board Topics for the NURS 347 course. Contributions to the Discussion Board Topic are worth 20 points for each week for a total of 50% of your final grade. The objectives of the discussion boards are as follows: 1. Demonstrate professional behaviors in interaction with colleagues. 2. Communicate knowledge, opinions, and conclusions logically and effectively. Directions: 1. Students are required to make an original post of at least 100 words in response to the posted question(s) for the graded discussion week. The original post must have at least two supporting resources that support the work with in-text APA citations. One of the two resources must be a scholarly journal article. Please review APA 7th edition formatting. 2. Students are also required to comment on their peers’ posts (should not be superficial). Only one response to the peer is required. 3. A reference list should be listed at the bottom of the original post and should be written in APA format, 7th edition.Instructions1. Review the Discussion Board rubric above to know detailed requirements of this assignment.2. Review the PowerPoint and articles given under the Week 2 module page. Then, answer the following questions below: How will you define professionalism?How will you maintain an unemotional, competent, and professional demeanor when patients, staff, or other students are not professional in their behavior toward you>3. You must respond to at least one peer’s initial post.June 25, 2020By: Luci Bostain, MSN, RN-BCAll nurses are responsible for maintaining the public’s trust.The public consistently ranks nursing as the most trusted profession. Maintaining that trust requires that nurses engage in professional behaviors of attitude, education, certification, mentoring, and advocacy. Let’s take a closer look at each.AttitudeRegardless of what’s happening in your life, you must remain positive and focused on caring for patients and their families. Failure to do so jeopardizes patient safety but also reflects poorly on the nursing profession. Years ago, nurses were required to recite the Nightingale pledge to publicly confirm their commitment to maintain the profession’s high ethical and moral values. The pledge is short and to the point, and the last sentence speaks volumes: “I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling, with loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.” Although some of the words are outdated, the meaning is clear: Nursing is a calling, not just a job; to answer that call, you must be dedicated to serve.A more current guide is the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements (the Code), which clearly and concisely states nurses’ ethical responsibilities. These provisions state your commitment to society and yourself as well as your responsibility to maintain a professional appearance. I urge you to read the Nightingale pledge and to familiarize yourself with the Code.EducationEvidence indicates that nurses have the biggest impact on achieving high-quality patient outcomes, and that bedside nurses with at least a bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN) further strengthen that impact. My personal experience illustrates how each step in my education path prepared me to confidently meet my patients’ needs.I began my nursing education over 30 years ago. I started in an associate degree program that I had to leave due to illness. I then entered a vocational program and after completion practiced as a licensed vocational nurse. About that time, the nursing shortage was beginning and my role changed depending on supply and demand; one day I might be starting I.V.s and performing assessments and the next day only RNs could perform those duties. I decided to return to school to get my associate’s degree.I was content in my career after that and didn’t plan to return to school. That all changed about 10 years ago when I was a charge nurse on a medical/surgical unit in a rural hospital. I loved my job, but as I began supervising more new graduate nurses with BSNs and new charge nurses were required to have a BSN, I knew I needed to return to school. My only regret is that I didn’t do it sooner. Getting a BSN has helped me do my job better in many ways, but three stand out:As a charge nurse, one of my responsibilities was attending patient care rounds and advocating for patients. Many of the professionals from other disciplines participating in rounds had a minimum of a bachelor’s degree. After I got my BSN, I felt better prepared to advocate for my patients and collaborate with other team members.Evidence-based research. Applying evidence-based research into bedside practice can help nurses achieve good patient outcomes. A BSN program should provide nurses with the skills they need to properly conduct research, analyze it, and apply it into practice.Healthcare understanding. Getting my BSN has helped me better understand how healthcare organizations function. I don’t want to be a nursing manager, but the classes I took on healthcare finance and nurse budgeting have given me insight into how my organization works so I can better meet my patients’ needs.Many affordable options are available to earn your BSN. Most can accommodate busy schedules, and your organization may offer some tuition assistance.CertificationAfter I got my BSN, my nurse manager encouraged me to become certified as well. I thought that with 25 years of nursing under my belt (10 as a med-surg nurse) I knew everything there was to know. But when I took the practice test, I found out I had more to learn. So I began studying and now know a few things I wish I’d learned earlier in my career.The most important reason to become certified in your area of nursing practice is the validation of specialized knowledge, which provides you with more tools to better serve patients. According to Yoder, taking the initiative to become certified demonstrates a nurse’s commitment to lifelong learning and strengthens the profession’s reputation. Certification also provides personal satisfaction and professional growth. Not all organizations offer reimbursement for certification, but the satisfaction you feel when you include your certification with your name may be worth the cost.MentoringAll nurses are teachers, not only to our patients but also to new nurses entering the profession. Both the Nightingale pledge and the Code state that the nurse has a responsibility to advance and sustain the profession. Experienced nurses serve as role models for new nurses, and that responsibility must be taken seriously to preserve the profession’s integrity. Leading by example is the most effective way to mentor other nurses and includes embracing and leading change, maintaining an open and positive mindset, and helping peers whenever you’re able.AdvocacyYou can take different roads to advocacy. Becoming a member of state and national nursing organizations is one. Many nurses question the value of membership, but remember, decisions about your practice and patient care are largely determined by local, state, and federal legislation. Most of the legislators making these decisions rely on nursing organizations to provide input. As a member, you can provide frontline knowledge to ensure legislation is in the best interests of patients and nurses.But political involvement isn’t the only road to advocacy. Collaborate with other disciplines to meet patient and family needs or serve on committees working to improve care quality and the workplace environment at your organization.Preserving professionalismTo preserve the nursing profession’s reputation, every nurse should be vigilant in the behaviors of attitude, education, certification, mentoring, and advocacy. The most important role of any nurse is to promote their patients’ health and protect their safety. That responsibility is enormous, but it’s obtainable when we maintain the professionalism nurses are known for.Luci Bostain is a charge nurse on a progressive care unit at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Brenham in Brenham, Texas.ReferencesAmerican Nurses Association. Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements. 2015. nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/code-of-ethics-for-nurses/coe-view-onlyDe Silva M. Understanding the Nightingale pledge. Sunday Observer. May 12, 2019. sundayobserver.lk/2019/05/12/health/understanding-nightingale-pledgeFetzer S. Legislative activism: Walk the talk. New Hampshire Nursing News. 2012:3. d3ms3kxrsap50t.cloudfront.net/uploads/publication/pdf/109/NH10_12.pdfFowler MD. Faith and ethics, covenant and code: The 2015 revision of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements. J Christ Nurs. 2017;34(4):216-24.Hrelic DA. RN to BSN: Why and how. Am Nurse Today. 2019;14(10):42-4.Johnson JA. Nursing professionalism: Innate, taught, or caught? J Nurses Prof Dev. 2015;31(2):114-5.Morley G, Jackson J. Is the art of nursing dying? A call for political action. J Res Nurs. 2017;22(5):342-51.Palatnik AM. The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health…how are we doing? Nurs Crit Care. 2016;11(3):4.Reinhart RJ. Nurses continue to rate highest in honesty, ethics. Gallup. January 6, 2020. news.gallup.com/poll/274673/nurses-continue-rate-highest-honesty-ethics.aspxRosier PK, Dupont M, Crowell J. Successful strategies for improving nurse certification rates. Am Nurse Today. 2019;14(7):34-5.Watkins LM. Professionalism in nursing, Part II. Miss RN. 2015;77(3):6.Watson J. Advocacy every day. Texas Nursing Magazine. 2019:5. https://issuu.com/texasnurses/docs/tna-fall19-digitalYoder L. Professionalism in nursing. Medsurg Nurs. 2017;26(5):293-4.