General Nursing Guide: Concept, Goals, and Specialties

Governments, international institutions, and society, in general, have paid significant attention to general nursing due to its immense importance and the urgent necessity for it within the healthcare field and medical care services. The nursing profession has become an essential core profession, playing a primary rather than a secondary role alongside doctors. Under no circumstances can doctors perform their duties and provide patient services without nurses. The role of nursing is no longer just assisting doctors; it is a fundamental and complementary role. Moreover, society generally focused on correcting the outdated, inferior perception of workers in the general nursing field.

The Concept of General Nursing

• The concept of general nursing refers to the independent and collaborative care services provided to individuals of all age groups, whether families, groups, healthy or sick individuals, under all circumstances. Nursing includes services aimed at enhancing health, maintaining well-being, preventing diseases, and providing patient care.
• The International Council of Nurses (ICN) also defined general nursing as encompassing everything that promotes a safe environment, research, participation in shaping health policies, and the management of all health systems and institutions.
• General nursing is a profession that provides services within healthcare institutions. It primarily focuses on the care of families, individuals, and communities so they can attain, maintain, or strive for optimal health and quality of life.

Goals of General Nursing

General nursing has numerous goals that all professionals in this field strive to achieve. The most important ones include:

• Reducing the patient's pain and suffering and alleviating the severity of their illness.
• Working to maintain individuals' health and personal safety, ensuring their health is at optimal levels.
• Providing a high standard of healthcare services to preserve patient health and prevent life-threatening complications.
• Offering medical assistance to all patients regardless of religion, color, race, or gender, as it is a profession that transcends all differences.
• The nurse must exert their utmost effort in performing their duties, as working in the medical field involves human lives where delays or negligence are unacceptable.
• Demonstrating the ability to work as a team and showing a complete willingness to cooperate during emergencies.
• Providing the patient and their family with a health status report and full information regarding necessary treatment without forcing it upon them, while explaining the health risks and consequences if they refuse treatment.
• Continuously following up on the patient's health status alongside the treating physician, without prescribing any medications or treatments without prior consultation or permission from the doctor.
• Ensuring the nurse performs their patient care services flawlessly.
• Creating and providing comprehensive, high-quality healthcare services for patients.
• Working to eradicate and overcome diseases while minimizing the chances of infection.

Goals of the Medical-Surgical Nursing Department

The Medical-Surgical Nursing specialty aims for a set of goals that align with general nursing goals as well as specific goals tailored to this department. Here are the most important ones:

• Providing patients with care and attention during surgical procedures.
• Linking concepts, terminologies, and the psychological and vital care foundations for professionals in general medical-surgical nursing.
• Applying known practical concepts and foundations of biopsychology within this field.
• Performing medical-surgical nursing duties with high skill, ensuring safe and highly efficient service delivery through strict adherence to rules.
• Raising health awareness and educating patients and their families while clarifying the patient's needs.
• Adhering to professional duties and responsibilities towards the patient and other medical team members.
• Utilizing appropriate educational courses, plans, and strategies for the personal and professional development of patients.
• Adopting modern technological methods in the workplace to keep pace with continuous advancements and ever-increasing health needs.
• Fostering a spirit of competitiveness locally and regionally while delivering services with high efficiency and professional quality.
• Enabling nurses to acquire experiences that grant them pioneering and leadership capabilities while working with the rest of the healthcare team.
• Combining ethical and legal aspects linked to social intentions, which helps empower the nurse to perform their duties efficiently.
• Bridging legal, ethical, cultural, and social values while providing healthcare.