Professional Licensure, Essay Example

According to the article “Professional Licensure, Organizational Behavior, and the Public Interest”, professional licensure is essential in nursing because it is “an extension of the concern for self-regulation that characterizes professionalism” (Cohen, 1973). Ultimately, the argument is that the field of nursing should require licensure, because licensure lists a set of requirements that must be met by the individual to ensure that he or she is meeting field standards. In nursing, this is particularly important, because it is expected that each nurse is as capable as the next so that the standard of care is continuous throughout institutions. Licensure ensures that every individual is able to meet at least minimum standards so that both doctors and patients can rely on nurses to perform certain job duties. By not requiring licensure, there may be discontinuity in knowledge and practical skills of nurses, which would be detrimental to the medical field.

A second reason that professional licensure is necessary is discussed in “Validation of Professional Licensure Examinations Professions Theory, Test Design, and Construct Validity” (Laduca, 1994). According to the author licensure exams are necessary because they require the nurse to think critically about the information that he or she has learned throughout training. To become licensed, one must be able to think on their feet and assess situations and apply knowledge. This is a necessary skill in nursing because all patients are unique and what may suffice as treatment for one individual may not be helpful for a second. Therefore, these exams ensure that the nurse will be effective in practice and apply their knowledge in new and unique situations.

References

Cohen HS. (1973). Professional Licensure, Organizational Behavior, and the Public Interest. The Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly, Vol. 51, No. 1, 73-88. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/3349611?uid=3739832&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21103362039003

Laduca A. (1994). Validation of Professional Licensure Examinations Professions Theory, Test Design, and Construct Validity. Eval Health Prof, vol. 17, no. 2 178-197. Retrieved from http://ehp.sagepub.com/content/17/2/178.short