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Becoming a Professional Nurse

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“Becoming” a Professional

Part of the book series: Lifelong Learning Book Series ((LLLB,volume 16))

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Abstract

This chapter explores the concept of becoming a professional nurse from the perspective of two contemporary professional neonatal nurses. Socio-historical traditions associated with nursing’s development in Australia are considered relative to epistemological and ontological arguments from the literature concerning the nature of nursing. These arguments are overlayed with discussion about inconsistent educational practices and negative socialisation processes experienced by nurses entering the workplace that may not enable nurses to reach their individual potential. The authors use their collective experiences to argue that multidisciplinary learning in-context is without equal in actualising individual potential, developing a professional identity and ultimately becoming a professional registered nurse.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professional and Educational Development Service, Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick, NSW, Australia

    Jane Davey

  2. Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Sydney, Randwick, NSW, Australia

    Sandie Bredemeyer

Authors
  1. Jane Davey
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  2. Sandie Bredemeyer
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Correspondence to Jane Davey .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

    Lesley Scanlon

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Davey, J., Bredemeyer, S. (2011). Becoming a Professional Nurse. In: Scanlon, L. (eds) “Becoming” a Professional. Lifelong Learning Book Series, vol 16. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1378-9_10

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