Core Values For Professional Nursing

In this essay I will be discussing and exploring the four biomedical principles of nursing which refer to: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence and justice. Specifically looking at autonomy I will further discuss and explain why I have chosen this principle, its value to good nursing practice and demonstrate its relation to mental health nursing, specifically dementia. Following this I will adhere to the conflicts that may impede its implementation in practice with autonomy, address the legal and professional obligations as a nurse in relation to autonomy and finally, provide a conclusion to summarise my aspirations and acknowledgment of the four biomedical ethics.

The nurse should respect and let patient exercise autonomy about their care because patients have the right to make one’s own decisions. Most importantly patient’s opinions are more important than what nurses think about their choices (Bernhofer, 2011). According to Bernhofer, (2011) patients described that exercising their autonomy helped them to make the right decision about their care and their pain control as well. Effective pain management and satisfaction about their treatments plan are noted in those patients who took advantage of the ethical principle of

Nursing is an all encompassing profession in which practitioners are not only proficient in technical medical functionality, they also have the obligation to remain compassionate and respectful of patients and as such are expected to adhere to pre established codes of ethics. Of these ethics, autonomy is of extreme importance as it offers patients a sense of personal authority during a time where they may feel as if their lives, or at the very least their health, is no longer under their control. Autonomy in the context of nursing allocates the patient and often their family with the final word on the course of treatment. The concept of patient autonomy is a highly variable subject in all fields of health care. It is a universal concept that varies widely in its meaning and interpretation. Autonomy in its simplest form can be defined as a state of independence or self governing (Atkins, 2006). Patient autonomy can also be defined as the ability to make once own decisions, based on one’s sound judgment. It is defined by the American Nurses Association (ANA, 2011) as the "agreement to respect another 's right to self determine a course of action; support of independent decision making." This seemingly straight forward ethical concept is rife with difficulties when one considers potential disagreements that may arise even when informed consent is provided, particularly among children or vulnerable people. Relevant research and

Sample: A convenience sample of 971 nursing students enrolled from first, second, third and Fourth year at Faculty of Nursing, Menoufia University, Shebin AL Khoum, Menoufia Governorate, Egypt.

According to the National League for Nursing the core values of a nurse are caring, excellence, diversity, and integrity (National League for Nursing, 2014). I believe it is important to be an advocate for our patients. Sometimes the patients are not able to speak for themselves and sometimes there are not family members present to speak up for the patient. Sometimes the nurse has to be there to advocate for the patient to make sure he or she is receiving the care that he or she needs. According to the author Beth Perry a nurse is able to keep the patients dignity by “advocat[ing] for patients’ wishes when the patients were not able to advocate for themselves” (Perry, 2005, p. 44). This is when the patient needs a nurse the most; this speaks

Autonomy means that an informed, competent person can refuse or accept treatment and invasive procedures according to their wishes.

Professional ethics is part of Person and Family Centred Care, it is embedded in its respect for patient autonomy and opinions, it has been observed that patients who are engaged in their care have “better health outcomes” (Pash & Clay 2016). However, on a daily basis nurses are faced with ethical challenges in provision of care (Gallagher & Hodge 2012). Woods (2015) suggested that for quality and effective care to be delivered, ethical codes should strictly be adhered, to avoid the breach of patients and their families’ ethical rights. Therefore, Clinicians must be committed in ensuring that professional integrity is maintained at all times (Campbell, Gillet & Jones 2005).

Autonomy speaks to personal freedom and self-determination. Essentially, it is affording patients the right to make their own decision regarding treatments affecting their body, health, and life, even if the health care providers do not agree with those decisions. Respecting patients’ right to autonomy communicates that we as health care professionals give them the freedom to choose a course of treatment that best serves their chosen lifestyle.

Autonomy has been practiced in nursing since Bioethics and the four principles became a prominent approach. Bioethics considers the social and moral implications of new developments in medicine and medical technology (Jecker, Jonsen, & Pearlman, 2012). Autonomy is just one of four principles, however it holds great value to both nurses and patients as it underpins respect, confidentiality and consent over personal information (Freegard, 2006).

Healthcare professionals encounter ethical decisions every day in the deliverance of healthcare for individuals with diverse values living in a culturally disparate and pluralistic society. Bioethics and professionalism are some of the few indispensable pillars of quality medical care. It establishes the foundation of how healthcare providers should treat their patients; building a trusting relationship and putting the patients’ needs first. The four main bioethical principles include respect for autonomy, nonmaleficence, beneficence, and justice1. The principle of respect for autonomy is based on the ability of personal rule and freedom. Automony in the medical field refers to the ability of the patient to act intentionally, with understand, and without external restrictions that would diminish any free and voluntary act2. The notion of nonmaleficence can be summarized by the quote from Thomas Sydenham, “primum non nocere”: ‘above all, do no harm’3. Physicians are obligated to avoid doing any harm to their patients; this principle outweighs even the principle of respect for the patient’s autonomy in an incident where potential harm can occur1. The dogma of beneficence is the physician’s duty to strive to provide benefits to the patient as well as taking action to prevent or remove harm from the patient1, 5. One of the most common ethical quandaries in medicine revolves around the balance of nonmaleficience and beneficence; basically, the potential benefits of any

1). Autonomy is about informed consent, confidentiality, truth telling, and fidelity (Morrison, 2016, p. 30). All of these concepts within autonomy can be explained using the ethical theory of rationality and utilitarianism. In the case of the patient, the concept of free will is used in autonomy because the patient has the free will to choose what is good for their body by giving permission to the medical personnel. Moreover, the medical personnel have to present all medical possibilities to the patient, which shows the use of rationality and utilitarianism.

As student nurses we are entering a profession that encompasses many different core values such as caring, integrity, diversity, and autonomy. Our professionalism is judged by our behaviors, the way we communicate with coworkers, patients and family members, and how we present ourselves to others. These behaviors can be demonstrated by our appearance, attitude, and desire to assist others. In my opinion, being a professional nurse is someone with a tremendous amount of compassion as well as a positive attitude. Attitude is everything in life, and you certainly won’t go far with a negative one. Attitude affects our personal relationships, work performance and on the relationships we develop with our patients. The nursing profession allows us

Respecting the patients free will was the cornerstone for a lot of medical bioethics , in the same time it was the source for many dilemmas cases . Autonomy is the capacity for all competent individuals to control what happen to their body even if what they want is not in their best interest.

They defined the respect for autonomy as “ acknowledging people right to hold views, to make choices, and to take actions based on their values and beliefs” (Beauchamp & Childress, 2009, p. 106). They identify the autonomous person as a person who has the capacities of self-governance such as understanding, reasoning, deliberating and independent choosing (Beauchamp & Childress, 2009). Also, they mentioned that in case of delegating the right to make decision to someone else that decision must be made autonomously by the patient (Beauchamp & Childress, 2009). Assuming that most of these Saudi patients are autonomous people, they deserve respectful actions and behaviors in the health sitting by all healthcare providers and family members based on the common morality

In life it is hard to know if the career chosen is the perfect fit. How does one know if he or she is going towards the right profession? Once I learned more about nursing and became a CNA I knew nursing was a good fit for myself. In this paper I will first, explain what brought me to the nursing profession then, the values of nursing and how they relate to my personal values and lastly, my personal goals and how they relate to nursing.