Sivamalai (2008) outlines five attributes of a registered nurse, which are discussed here in details.

Since a nurse needs to initiate action to assist a client, empathy is emphasized more than sympathy. In this case, the nurse should be attentive to the client’s needs, and support them accordingly. The nurse should be a good listener, and sensitive to client issues. In addition, the nurse is expected to treat a patient with compassion. The attributes in this category are important in modelling a nurse who is unconditionally responsive to client needs (Frankel 2011).

The second category of attributes is contextual and interpersonal skills (Sivamalai 2008, p. 7). The registered nurse is expected to demonstrate knowledge regarding the area of practice and issues relating to patients. The interpersonalfor a registered nurse. Theodosios and Greece (2012, p. 10) observe that the registered nurse should be mentally and physically fit, as well as, presentable. This enables them to cope with the tough and stressful nursing profession. Lastly, a registered nurse has to be accountable. This is important in that the nurse can be trusted with the lives of the patients.

CRITICAL THINKING, REFLECTION, AND THEIR IMPORTANCE IN NURSING AND MIDWIFERY PRACTICE.

Both critical thinking and reflection are known to improve nursing practice by benefiting both the nurse and his patient. Both critical thinking and reflection are related. While reflecting, the nurse applies the skills of critical thinking. According to Sivamalai (2009), critical thinking is an important skill for nurses as it serves as the basis of clinical decision making. The skill is required to save a client’s life, both at the bedside and the policy-making level. A registered nurse needs critical thinking skills because one needs to think like a nurse. Thus, critical thinking is a self-regulatory purposeful judgment that uses some cognitive tools as evaluation, inference, and analysis, criteriological, conceptual and methodological (Carlson 2012judgments. A registered nurse should have the autonomy to practice independently. In independent practice, many decisions are involved. For a nurse to maintain professionalism, they must apply the skills of critical thinking.

On the other hand, reflection is the process of analysis, evaluating and reviewing one’s experiences and thoughts with a view to informing future actions (Carlson 2012). This evaluation includes the theoretical concepts of practice. In other words, it is the process of examination of one’s thoughts and actions. It is important to both the nurses and the patients. Through reflective practice, registered nurses are able to reflect on their knowledge and experiences in order to meet the commitment of delivering the best care to the patients (). Since nurses are required to update their professional skills frequently, critical reflection benefits the greatly in this area of practice. Health care is approached in a multi-disciplinary approach. Through reflective practice, a nurse builds a good working relation with the other staff members.

COMPETENCY STANDARDS AND THEIR IMPORTANCE IN NURSING AND MIDWIFERY.

Competency standards of practice are the basics used to assess the performance of a registered nurse in order to retain their registration (NMBA 2010). Apart from being used by the Board to assess the performance of nurses annually, the competency standards serve as guides for professional competence during practice. The NMBA (2010, p. 2) divides these competency standards into domains.

The first domain of competency standards is professional practice. This includes the demonstration of ethical, legal and professional responsibilities, which includes the protection of group and individual rights (NMBA 2010). The second domain is critical thinking and analysis. The professional benchmark for this aspect is to self-appraise, reflect and develop one’s research skills. Thirdly, the provision and coordination of the care domain requires nurses to organize care in a professional manner that meets the set standards. The last domain is collaborative and therapeutic practice. This requires that nurses build a professional working relationship with the other members of the multi-disciplinary team.

Apart from self-assessment and the board assessment, the competence standards can be used to communicate to consumers of care, about the quality of nursing personnel (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2012). In addition, the institutions of higher learning use the competence standards to develop their curriculum. Nursing is a very sensitive profession that deals directly with people’s lives. The competency standards are guidelines that govern the professional practice of the nurses. The four domains that encompass the competency standards are very important in nursing practice. The registered nurse maintains the domain by reflecting and referring to the professional standards of competence.

REFERENCES

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2012, Nursing and midwifery workforce 2011, Canberra, AU: Author.

Carlson, E, 2012, ‘Time, trust and reflection three aspects of precepting in clinical nursing education’, Nurse Education in Practice, 2012, 1-2.

Frankel, A, 2011, ’What leadership styles should nurse leaders develop? Nursing Times, 104, 35, 23-24.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, 2010, National competency standards for the registered nurse, Melbourne, AU: Author.

Sivamalai, S, 2008, ‘Desired attributes of new graduate nurses as identified by the rural community’,Rural and Remote Health, 8(938), 1-14.

Theodosios, S, and Greece, I, P, 2012, ‘The clinical nurse leader’, Health Science Journal, 6,3, 392-401.