Autonomy in Nursing: Why It Matters and How to Develop It

In the highly dynamic field of nursing, autonomy plays a vital role in improving patient outcomes and fostering professional growth. But what exactly is autonomy in nursing, and why is it so significant? With a solid understanding of what autonomy in nursing looks like, its practical applications, and how nursing students can prepare to take on autonomous roles, future registered nurses, RNs, and nurse practitioners may be better prepared to enter the field.

What Is Autonomy in Nursing?

Before we explore why autonomy is so important in the nursing profession and how nursing students can develop it in their careers, it’s essential to understand what is autonomy in nursing and how it can directly improve patient care.

Definition and Importance

Autonomy in nursing is defined as a nurse’s professional ability to make independent clinical decisions within the scope of practice. When a nurse is acting autonomously, they feel confident in their ability to apply their own professional knowledge and training to a clinical scenario to provide a patient with the best care. These nurses don’t need to seek out approval for their decisions from other healthcare providers or jump through hoops to make their own choices.

Autonomy for nurses on the job may look like a nurse practitioner (NP) prescribing medications for a patient, or a midwife helping a pregnant woman through labor and delivery.

Nursing autonomy matters in the field because nurses empowered to act autonomously can improve patient care, optimize efficiency within a healthcare facility, and build their confidence and leadership abilities as nursing professionals.

Benefits for Patient Care

From a patient care perspective, autonomy in nursing can improve outcomes and the quality of care patients receive. That’s because nurses with the experience and confidence to act autonomously in their work can make clinical decisions that best align with a patient’s unique needs and values. When nurses apply their own in-depth understanding of a patient’s background, beliefs, and needs to their own decision-making, they can work towards truly patient-centered care that results in better outcomes.

At the same time, when nurses are empowered to make decisions about their own work, they can do their jobs more efficiently without the need for ongoing input from other healthcare professionals. This improves the delivery of care while increasing efficiency. Meanwhile, nurses acting autonomously may have higher levels of job satisfaction because they feel empowered and trusted by their healthcare teams to make the right decisions.

Autonomy Meaning in Nursing Practice

Now that you have a better understanding of the autonomy meaning in nursing practice, it can be helpful to consider what autonomy might actually look like across a wide range of nursing roles and how it can aid in clinical decision-making.

Examples of Autonomous Nursing Roles

There are a number of roles in the nursing profession that call for a certain level of autonomy, including:

• Developing and Implementing Care Plans – Creating and adjusting patient care plans based on assessments and patient needs.
• Patient Education – Teaching patients and families about medications, treatments, and lifestyle modifications.
• Advocating for Patients – Acting as a liaison between patients and the healthcare team to ensure appropriate care.

Autonomy in Clinical Decision-Making

When nurses exercise autonomy in clinical decision-making, they work independently to assess and consider a patient’s needs before making decisions about their care. During this time, nurses use their own critical thinking skills to make independent judgments about what’s best for the patient, striving to deliver patient-centered care above all else. Still, nurses working autonomously are still under an obligation to operate within their own practice guidelines based on their scope of practice and level of training/education.

Developing Autonomy as a Nursing Student

For nursing students and new nurses, developing autonomy in the field may sometimes seem like a futile cause. Afraid to make a mistake or be reprimanded, some nurses just starting off in their careers may struggle with independent decision-making. The good news? The right nursing education and training can make all the difference, as can even a little bit of hands-on experience in the field.

Education and Training

While there is no shortage of nursing programs available, the reality is that they’re not all created equal. Aspiring nurses need to be careful and do their research when it comes to finding the nursing program that’s right for them. Not only should the right program be accredited and offer students the flexibility they need in their scheduling, but it should also properly prepare nurses for autonomous practice.

At Bryant & Stratton College, our accredited nursing programs are designed with nursing autonomy in mind, equipping students with the decision-making abilities and clinical knowledge needed to make independent choices with confidence.

Gaining Experience in Clinical Nursing

In addition to the right nursing program, a little hands-on experience in the field can go a long way when it comes to empowering nursing students to develop confidence in their decision-making abilities. Clinical nursing experience can also provide students with the practice they need to build their own leadership and critical-thinking skills, which can help them go on to make more autonomous decisions in their work.

Autonomy and Nursing Leadership

While all nurses should have some degree of autonomy in their work, this is perhaps especially important for those who go on to tackle nursing leadership roles. Nursing leaders have both the power and the professional obligation to support a work environment that allows nurses to make autonomous decisions.

The Role of Leadership in Autonomous Nursing

Nurses in leadership roles should encourage critical thinking and independence, improving patient outcomes while boosting efficiency and job satisfaction for nurses on the floor.

Promoting Autonomy in Healthcare Teams

Nursing leaders can actually support autonomy in their teams by creating a positive and trusting work environment while making sure the overall vision of the team is clear. This, in addition to offering mentoring opportunities for nurses, can make all the difference when it comes to supporting autonomy in the workplace.

Challenges and Support for Autonomy in Nursing

Although the concept of autonomy in nursing may seem rather simple in theory, it can actually be quite complex in practice. This is especially true when it comes to the challenges that surround balancing autonomy with teamwork. Fortunately, with the right institutional support systems in place, nursing autonomy is an achievable goal in every healthcare facility.

Balancing Autonomy With Teamwork

All healthcare workers are under an obligation to operate collaboratively. If there’s no communication between nurses and other healthcare workers at all, mistakes can be made. At the same time, too much reliance on other healthcare professionals’ input can hinder autonomy while delaying timely decision-making and patient care.

Healthcare teams are tasked with finding that ideal balance of collaboration while still maintaining independence and autonomy on the job. This remains an ongoing challenge for many working in the field.

Institutional Support for Nursing Autonomy

Institutional support is also a must for nurses to have any level of autonomy in their work, yet this support isn’t always there. Ideally, workplaces should provide nurses with an organizational culture that supports autonomy and decision-making through clear job descriptions and responsibilities, plenty of professional development opportunities, and direct support from supervisors and management.

Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case, so nurses should be prepared to advocate for their own autonomy and take advantage of continuing education opportunities as they arise. In doing so, they can improve their own decision-making while striving to minimize bureaucracy and improve autonomy.

Build Confidence in a Nursing Degree Program

In the field of nursing, autonomy is not only about independence but confidence, competence, and collaboration as well. Nursing students can build rewarding careers in clinical nursing, leadership, and advanced practice roles by understanding autonomy’s significance and preparing for autonomous roles through the right education and experience.

Ready to embrace autonomy in your nursing career? Bryant & Stratton College’s wide range of nursing programs are here to support you. From LPN diplomas and ADN degrees to BSN options, you can choose the path that best suits your needs and interests. Reach out to request more information or start your free online application to get started today.