Running head: NURSING ETHNOGRAPHY

Nursing Ethnography
Devyn, M. Green
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Running head: NURSING ETHNOGRAPHY

Abstract
This ethnography displays the research I have done on nurses. I will explain what a nurse is and
what members of the community are like. Common nursing events, nursing interaction,
communication, and language will also be discussed.

Running head: NURSING ETHNOGRAPHY

A nurse is an educated and formally trained health care provider. Nurses are trained to
provide safe care to patients who are sick and disabled (Crosta, 2005). More specifically nurses
provide care to anyone in need and ensure that they achieve and maintain optimal health and
functionality (Crosta, 2005). When providing care a nurses ultimate goal is to provide the highest
possible quality of life for their patient (Crosta, 2005). This is a unique profession within health
care because no other discipline is trained to provide the intimate care that a patient requires.
Intimate care includes providing bed baths, assisting with toileting, and ensuring proper hygiene
is maintained. These tasks require the patient to entrust the nurse with their privacy and safety.
Trust is the ability to rely on someone that exhibits character traits of integrity and honesty.
Nursing is often referred to as one of the most trusted professions (Olshansky, 2011).
Nursing is a term used to describe the role of a nurse. According to the American Nurses
Association (ANA), "Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and
abilities; prevention of illness and injury; alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and
treatment of human responses; and advocacy in health care for individuals, families,
communities, and populations". Within nursing there are a countless number of specialties one
can choose to pursue, however, specific traits are common among the entire community.
The nursing community strives to provide quality care for everyone. While providing
care it's crucial to maintain a code of ethics. The American Nurses Association's code of ethics
highlights the values a nurse is expected to display. This code of ethics contains nine provision's
which the nursing community is expected to adhere too. Provision one states: "The nurse
practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of

Running head: NURSING ETHNOGRAPHY

every person". This provision not only gives us a sense of what type of person a nurse is, it holds
them to an extremely high standard. Providing compassionate and respectful care to all types of
people is not an easily accomplished task. Nurses provide care to groups such as alcoholics, drug
abusers, and criminals. These groups require care, therefore they have a place within the nursing
culture. According to prevision one of the American Nurses Association's code of ethics, a nurse
must treat these patients without judgment and provide them the same compassion and quality of
care that everyone else receives.
During my research, I interviewed Dedicated Charge Nurse Karen Forester of Baptist
Hospital, NC. The views of my interviewee accurately reflect the values of nurses as a whole.
Karen represents the views of all the nurses on her floor each day as a charge nurse. Karen put an
emphasis on treating everyone equally. Specifically I took note on how she treated homeless
patients during the winter seasons. Karen described treating patients of this subculture as
rewarding but at the same time, having to discharge them back into the harsh winter elements is
"heartbreaking" (Forester, 2015). It is a nurse's duty to provide patients with the best quality of
life possible but discharging a patient into the winter weather entirely contradicts this principle.
The regret she felt puts an emphasis on how important following the code of ethics and providing
compassionate care really is within the nursing community. By evaluating the heartbreak Karen
feels for these individuals we are better equipped to judge the character of a nurse.
The communication, interaction, and language that is used in the nursing profession can
be considered bizarre in comparison to other professions within the American workforce. Nurses
must have a strong set of communication skills because not only do they communicate among

Running head: NURSING ETHNOGRAPHY

themselves but they are also responsible for communicating directly with physicians, patients,
and their families. Different communication methods are used depending on the group of people
a nurse is communicating with.
Verbal communication is primarily used for interactions among nursing staff. During my
interview with Karen, I asked her about how nurses communicate with one another on the job. I
learned nurses carry work phones at all times, and they are always interacting throughout the
day. She placed an emphasis upon verbal communication, specifically on shouting. She said if an
emergency were to arise while providing patient care, nurses just calmly yell out to one another
for help. This is a quick and efficient form of communication, and when put in a situation where
every second counts it's crucial that time is not wasted.
Many individuals take for granted the privilege of being able to step away from work or
schooling for a moment in order to use the restroom, or go to the water fountain. Karen
mentioned that her nursing staff must always be accounted for. Detrimental consequences could
follow if a nurse were to take a short restroom break without letting someone know of their
absence, as each nurse is responsible for certain patients. This is just another example of how
communication between nursing staff is vital to patient safety. Nurses also have safety meetings
at shift changes where they explain issues that occurred during the previous shift. These meetings
increase patient safety because at the end of the day nurses are able to pass important patient
information onto the next shift of nurses.
Electronic charts and medical records is a form of communication used among nursing
staff and physicians. These are legal documents which contain confidential medical information

Running head: NURSING ETHNOGRAPHY

about patients. Nurses are constantly adding information to their patients charts, and other
nursing staff and physicians use this information to formulate care plans and to make medical
decisions. Karen mentioned that most of her nurses tend to do their charting at the nursing station
desk.
Communication between nurse and patient differs from the methods described above.
Patient communication includes not only verbal communication but it relies heavily on
nonverbal cues. In fact, non-verbal interactions can be one of the best forms of communication
between patient and nurse. Before a nurse can evaluate someone and perform procedures they
must first gain permission or consent from the patient. Consent can be given both verbally and
non-verbally, but non-verbal cues are most commonly given. An example of this is when a nurse
asks a patient if they can take their blood pressure and the patient nods their head. The patients
head nod is the nonverbal communication and the nurse has gained the patients consent. Some
patients are not able to physically speak and in cases such as this nonverbal communication is the
only form of communication available. Hitting is another form of nonverbal communication and
patients exert this deviant behavior because they are trying to send a message. This message can
be unclear, but it is the nurses job to interpret it and provide the patient with the highest possible
quality of care.
Communication between nurse and family is also extremely important. Nurses spend a lot
of time updating and educating family members. Majority of the time family members rely on
nurses for updates on health changes, medical explanations, and for counseling. Families
frequently call the nurses station when they need patient updates. Many facilities assign patients

Running head: NURSING ETHNOGRAPHY

a unique code that is shared with the nursing staff and family. When a family member calls they
must first confirm their identity by telling the nurse the code. This system allows the patient to
keep their medical information confidential and shared only with those on an approved list. If a
family member does not understand a diagnosis or process, nurses take on the responsibility of
educating the individual so they can better understand the medical situation that is affecting their
loved one.
The language pertaining to the nursing community is unique and is shared among all
health care disciplines. This language is based primarily upon medical terminology and
abbreviations. Medical terminology is used to describe the human body, its conditions, and
medical procedures. Abbreviations are the building blocks for medical terminology. Nurses put
together multiple abbreviations to create a medical term. Hydro and cephal are abbreviations and
when combined it creates the medical term hydrocephalus, meaning water on the brain. Medical
terminology is a tool used by nurses, most commonly when recording medical records.
According to Karen, her nurses do not use a lot of medical terminologies when communicating
but a major emphasis is put on medical terminology during nursing school. With this being said
the medical language nurses and health care professionals use differs from the language of those
who are not apart of the health care culture.
Many texts are commonly read among registered nurses while they are going through
nursing school. Human Anatomy & Physiology, Pharmacology, and Nursing Science are all
courses nurses have taken. The textbooks associated with these classes contain texts which all
registered nurses have read or are familiar with. In order to become a registered nurse, a nursing

Running head: NURSING ETHNOGRAPHY

student must complete either a two-year or four-year college program. After completion of the
program the individual is then able to take the NCLEX exam which they must pass. Many
nursing students read NCLEX study guides and texts in order to prepare for this exam.
Nurses must continue their education throughout their careers. The continuing education
program requires nurses to attend an educational seminar or training session every three years.
These events are extremely important as it ensures patients are being treated with the most up to
date methods. This can significantly increase patient safety because it keeps the nursing staff
knowledgeable, which leads to better performing nurses. In addition to this program nurses are
also required to keep their CPR, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, certification up to date.
There is much to be learned from studying and observing nurses. They can be the health
care providers that are easily looked over, but their role is crucial. It's a nurses job to take care of
those in need and restore them to their normal health. An endless number of nursing specialties
exist and they can be found in all health care facilities. Nurses share a common goal which is to
provide quality care to everyone. They are the providers who are directly communicating with
patients and ensuring that the patients families are kept up to date with medical changes. We
come in contact with a nurse from the moment we enter this world through birth, and as we lie
on our death beds nursing staff will be the last ones doing all they can to provide us with the
highest quality possible end of life care.

Running head: NURSING ETHNOGRAPHY

Resources
Crosta, P. (2015, October 1). "What is nursing? What does a nurse do?." Medical News Today.
Retrieved from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/147142.php.

American Nurses Association. Retrieved from URL

http://www.nursingworld.org/EspeciallyForYou/StudentNurses.aspx

Olshansky, E. (2011, July-August). "Nursing As The Most Trusted Profession: Why This Is Im
portant". Retrieved from URL
http://www.professionalnursing.org/article/S8755-7223(11)00082-2/abstract

International Council of Nurses. Retrieved from URL http://www.icn.ch/abouticn.htm

Dedicated Charge Nurse Karen Forester, RN. Written permission was given to publicly use her
name in my ethnography.