An Ethical And Philosophical Requirement Within The Profession Of Nursing

Nursing is defined as the promotion, protection and the prevention of illness and Injury, the treatment of a patient’s disease or diseases, the patient’s response to a disease, as well as one big thing that nurses are known for, and that is being a patient’s advocate nursing has been one of the fastest growing fields since the 1990’s (Mueller et al.,2012). Advocacy is defined as an action in which a person speaks out, argues a cause, supports and defends on the behalf of others. I believe that the role of being a patient advocate is one of the most important things a nurse can do because there are many patients that cannot speak on their behalf, I believe that it is up to the nurses to be those patients as well as all patient’s voices (Mueller et al., 2012).

Nurses’ involvement in policy debates brings our professional values to bear on the process. (Warner, 2003) The Master’s prepared nurse’s goal as an advocate should be to fight to enhance the client’s wellbeing in every possible way, at every available opportunity. This can be achieved by being part of organization that advocate for patients’ right as well as for better working condition for our colleagues. Also, nurses could choose to get involved in politics or lobby on behalf of other nurses.

Political activism is an important complement for nurses in the clinical practice. Nurses are in an exceptional position not only to provide quality bed side care to their patients but also to advocate for change within the community and political field. Common problem affecting a group of people can be a political issue. Identifying the cause of this issue and advocating to solve the root cause with the help of decision makers like politicians, hospital executives, managers or government bureaucrats, nurses can bring beneficial changes in Canadian Health care system.

The Tennessee Nurses Association has a goal to enhance nurse advocacy. For a nurse to practice advocacy for patients, one must understand the importance. Research had to be done to determine what the nurses were expected to advocate for their patients. Choi, Pin-Pin, and Mei-che Pang (2014) conducted a study to discover how the nurses integrate the advocacy. Choi, Pin-pin, Cheung, and Mei-che Pang’s discovered that nurses are a huge part of recognizing safety concerns and health changes for patients throughout their hospital stay (Para. 5).

According to American Nurses Association [ANA] (2013), advocacy is the key element in the nursing profession and during lobby day, nurse 's expertise is valued and acknowledged in the policy development process. To further analyze the significance of lobbying day, this paper will identify the purpose of the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA), describe one issue, identify the behavioral characteristics of the group leader, describe the discussion, and analyze alternative strategies for the full discussion of issues.

ANA 2015 states, the nurse has a duty to be knowledgeable about the needs of the public, this includes knowing about the limited access to healthcare and resources. As a health care policy advocate, the nurse is able to bring about change toward health services, introduce issues to begin policy formulation, and influence legislation.

Nurses play many essential roles in the care of their patients, one is being an advocate. Nurse advocates are the liaison between patients and doctors.

In a profession where others' health and well-being are priority, there leaves room for neglect of those who are delegated to care for these people. As a professional nurse, there are many obstacles that arise and affect the care provided to a patient, as well as the livelihood of the nurse. The current deteriorating and unsafe staffing conditions in hospitals and other institutions prompts workplace advocacy as the universally appropriate concept for maintaining professional nursing practice. The Arkansas Nurses Association and the Louisiana State Nurses Association define workplace advocacy as a planned, organized system of services and resources designed to support the professional nurse in the workplace (White Paper on

Advocacy has been long-established as a necessary obligation for each healthcare institution and professional to implement in daily practice in order to be successful. In recent years, the topic has gained much attention, with many claiming it as a professional imperative for each facility. As one author notes, “If we are to adopt a practice grounded in inclusiveness that promotes universal access and equity as a mode of thinking, a therapeutic tool, and an ethical responsibility, then advocacy must be a professional imperative” (Kirsh, 2015, p. 216), alluding the profound role of advocacy in both clinical care and healthcare administration. However, the term is ambiguous to all applications it serves for: law, politics, social work, healthcare

Curtin's (1979) concept of advocacy is based on the nurse/patient relationship that forms from the common bond of humanity. The nurse must realize patient reactions and needs created by illness, which may threaten the integrity of the person (Bu & Jzewski, 2006, p103)(McSteen & Peden-McAlpine, 2006, p. 260). Gadow (1980) states that advocacy not only preserves, but also positively contributes to self-determination. "The effort to assist patients become clear about what they want in a situation, to assist them in discerning and clarifying their values and examining available options in light of those values" (MacDonald, 2007, p.120) Kohnke's (1982) definition of advocacy focuses on ensuring patient self-determination over decision-making (MacDonald, 2007, p. 120). Advocacy involves the nurse supplying patients with information needed to make appropriate choices and then supporting the decisions they make along with their right to make that decision (Bu & Jzewski, 2006, p103). Robinson (1985) thought advocacy involved allowing patients to make decisions without pressure and promote informed decision-making" (Baldwin, 2003, p. 35). Chafey et. al. (1998) indicated that the nurse-patient relationship is an important feature of advocacy. Teaching, informing, and supporting are activities of patient advocates. Lindahl and Sandman (1998) described patient advocacy as "building a caring relationship, carrying out a commitment, empowering, making room for and

Advocacy is risky, in that other peers may disagree with the decision when addressing the good of individuals or the nurse may potentially lose their position. But being able to find a balance between the foreseeable risks and benefits involved when advocating for better conditions is what leads to a more effective patient care plan (Edelman, Mandle, & Kudzma, 2014, p. 111). In the novel “A Nurse’s Story” by Tilda Shalof (2015), a positive example of advocacy is demonstrated between a patient named Sylvie and a nurse named Tracy. Sylvie is on the top of the organ transplant list for a new lung, but needs oxygen at the moment because she is struggling to breathe. The nurses are put in a situation where she either gets a sedation and intubation but gets taken off the transplant list, or gets the sedation and intubation to help her breathe at the moment. Despite the repercussions of possibly jeopardizing Sylvie’s chance for a lung transplant and going against the doctor in charge’s disapproval, she still gave her a dose of morphine to ease her breathing. Tracy in this situation is a perfect example of an advocate nurse. There were so many risks involved, but she was able to put a whole picture together and add in her instinct to come up with a plan of action. The interpersonal interaction between Tracy and her patient previously enabled her to spend more time to connect with the patient to understand what she needs and how to solve this situation. Not only did the nurse-patient relationship help the patient and her family feel as though they are being cared for, but also helped them feel more motivated to open up to the nurse to achieve better satisfaction. As said in the novel, “it was a small thing, but it was a big thing to Sylvie and her mother” (Shalof, 2015, p.

Conclusion: In this paper I had highlighted various factors that influence a nurse being an advocator and issue related to it. I had discuss strategies to facilitated and overcome the barriers in advocacy. It is a pleasure for me to write this paper as this was the first time I realized that advocacy had various meaning to different people. I strongly believe nurses do have the knowledge, experience and skills to be excellent advocates.

Nurses have a strong say in what direction their profession is headed. More nurses are filling leadership roles in the healthcare profession every year. No one plays a more critical role in developing the capacity and capability for professional advocacy than do nursing educators who model advocacy behaviors in both education and practice standards. (Tomajan, 2013) Nursing educators seize the opportunity to apply their leadership skills and help create a better image of nursing, by creating nurses who apply their knowledge to everyday activities, which results in a better patient experience and a less

According to Kadlec (2015), one of the ways to advocate patients is to work on regulation to stand for patients’ right, privacy and security . She provides a good outline for a nurse advocating in communities without delivering direct nursing care. When working on regulation, the benefit is not limited to one person or a family but individuals and families.

Advocacy stems from the nursing philosophy that aims to holistically support an individual and enable increased promotion of their health and wellbeing. This concept is viewed as an ethical responsibility that nurses as professionals adopt and incorporate into their practice daily. Although