Ethical Nursing and Values Provide Bright Pathways for the Student Nurse Alexis Fishback-Kendrick Ethics Paper Hannibal LaGrange University September 28, 2014 When stepping into the world of health profession, it is very important to know what my values are. Part of being a professional is being able to make a decision rather than sit on the fence in worry of hurting another person’s feelings. In healthcare, it is extremely important to make decisions fast and acknowledge ethical behaviors so that the appropriate choice is made in all scenarios. For each person values and beliefs can have different meanings. This is due to cultural background, environmental upbringing, and influential people. My personal values are based off of the principles of my faith. I did not have the best environment for me at home, therefore, my safe haven was church because I fully believed God was listening to me. Because I put my faith in Christianity, serving my God, I have the value that every person is treated as a brother or sister in Christ. I am to love and serve people. “Execute true justice, show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.” (Zechariah 7: 9, 10 New King James) My values are taking care of others, and providing aide when needed. I value life because it is a blessing from God. I value compassion and empathy because it is
As a registered nurse practicing in the state of California I am responsible for practicing within my states legal regulations and nursing scope of practice. My concern for the welfare of the sick and injured allows me to practice ethical provisions of nursing. These are required if I am to carry out competent and effective nursing care. Nursing encompasses the prevention of illness, the alleviation of suffering, and the protection, promotion, and restoration of health in the care of individuals. Therefore, as health care professionals we must be familiar with the different philosophical forces, ethical principles, theories and values that influence nursing. At the same time, we must be respectful to our patient’s
Professional values are the foundation for practice; they guide interactions with client, colleagues, other professionals, and the public, by providing the framework for commitment to the Welfare of others. They are also belief or ideas to which an individual is committed and which are reflected in patterns of behavior. Institute of medicine (2000). In this article, I will define Altruism, Autonomy, Human Dignity, Integrity, and Social Justice. I will also identify how these values are demonstrated in our every day lives by other nurses and myself. According to Dougherty (1992) “Altruism is a concern
This essay will consider ethics in nursing, discuss values and morals and how dignity and respect in patient care is influenced; considering the importance of reflection and the implications it has on effective practice from the perspective of a student nurse. The scenario “Call Me Joe” provided by Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) (2010a) highlights concerning issues and bad practice that are happening in modern day nursing practice, and using the Driscoll and Teh (2001) reflective model: What, Now What and So What, to consider the care that Joe is receiving; considering how the nursing practice affects him directly and the implications of the nature of knowledge in nursing practice. Part of the way in which nursing practice is
There are times that self-determination has opposition with the values and beliefs of health care providers. The five step ethical decision making model is in place for patients that are unable to make their own health care decisions due to incompetency; paternalism is not the method used anymore. “In relation to health care, paternalism manifests itself in the making of decisions on behalf of patients without their full consent or knowledge. (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008). Value systems, which includes a patients and family morals, play a factor in ethical decision making.
Ethics is an essential aspect of health care practice and those working in the nursing profession are often subject to frequent ethical dilemmas. It is essential for all nurses to be aware of the importance of ethics in health care and to practice within the ethico-legal parameters that govern the profession. However, while this is relatively easy in theory, ethics is not a black and white subject and often one’s culture, upbringing, attitudes and beliefs can influence what one views as ethical and this can therefore influence practice. This report will discuss the importance of ethics in nursing practice. The definition of ethics will firstly be presented followed
What values is important to me? To answer this question, I believe I should first start with a brief background about me. I was born in a small country in West Africa called Ivory Coast. My mother was a Christian and my father was Muslim. Because of the ongoing clash between members of these two religions, my parents were not married, as a result I grew up dealing with the clash, and living the life with two single parents. I spent my school years with my father, and summer breaks with my mother. My father taught me the values based on his belief and so did my mother. Consequently, my values originated from the merge of both beliefs.
in their shoes I can respect their decision. Knowledge of ethical principles arms the nurse with the power
It would be important to delineate the term value to answer your question on what constitutes a good clinical decision-maker. For the purpose of this discussion, a value is simply defined as an inner force that provides the standards by which patterns of choice are made (O’Sullivan & Schmitz, 1994, p. 31). The choices we make as an individual or as a professional is dependent on our values. In our first written assignment, we discussed our professional core values. These professional core values serve as our foundation or basis for our day to day interactions at work with our patients and colleagues.
One of the most important responsibilities of a Nurse is to understand the ethical principles to promote patient safety, quality of care and avoid errors. In the profession of nursing, we as nurses must maintain the integrity, and respect the rights of human subjects. One of the protecting human subject rights includes the right to self determination. According to Burns and Grove (2011) “The right to self- determination is based on the ethical principle of respect for persons, and it indicates that human are capable of controlling their own destiny.” In addition, according to Burns and Grove(2011), researchers treat subjects as autonomous agents in a study if the researcher has (1) informed them about the study, (2) allowed them to chose whether to participate, and (3) allowed them to withdraw from the study at any time without penalty”.(Page 110). However, there had been several historical studies that conducted unethical practices and violated human right to self- determination.
Audience: Health practitioners, scholars who are intrigued by the practice of clinical medicine and the medical ethics that follow, people with Orthodox beliefs and religious views
There are philosophical forces that make up and direct each nurse’s practice. Burkhardt and Nathaniel (2008) note philosophy as “the intense and critical examination of beliefs and assumptions (pp. 27). One incorporates knowledge and beliefs to make up their philosophical forces. Possessing outstanding philosophical forces allows one to be respectful, well rounded and possess good character. Some examples of ways one has been respectful towards another person’s beliefs are discussed in the next paragraph.
Values and beliefs are social norms that are relative compared to the fact that 2 plus 2 equals 4 in mathematics. What I am learning is that; I must maintain what is value system and be courageous about it, even in the face of threat, regardless of real risks from stress, rejection from colleagues or threats to employment. Uncompromised patient care must remain the bedrock in the care environment, regardless. All efforts must be made to address the issues that may compromise patient care. There are established rules and it must be engaged. The rules must be followed; where patient care is paramount to success in every step of the way. If the rules are conflicting with my values and beliefs; then I must seek assistance from the system and hopefully arrive at reasonable
The profession of nursing embodies values intrinsic in those who seek nursing as a career. The core values of honesty, dignity, integrity, and autonomy enable nurses to provide unparalleled health care in the most professional manner (Price & Hall, 2013). Nurses throughout history have held the reputation as front runners of healthcare, and often, the faces of hope. A trusted relationship between patient and nurse developed throughout history by the nurse upholding a respected professional image and nursing identity (Willetts G., Clarke D. 2012). It is through professional dress, demeanor, and dialect that character is recognized by those in which the nurse interacts. In order for nursing to remain a respected profession, it is the responsibility of nurses worldwide to maintain a professional image. As Bargagliotti (2014, p.23) stated, "how nursing is perceived inside and outside of the health care system directly affects how successful nurses will be in coordinating patient care." By maintaining a professional attitude at all times the public is ensured that the nurse will provide safe, precise, and exceptional healthcare. It is important to remember contemporary professionalism is not a novel concept. Nursing professionalism is an essential component of health care introduced by the works of Florence Nightingale during the Victorian era (Bargagliotti 2014). Professional image is a vital element of nursing and without a positive representation, society is hesitant
Individuals are made up of many factors. As human beings, we are shaped by memories, individual experiences and knowledge affecting our perceptions, the way we reason and the way we judge situations. Collectively, all these attributes make up an individual’s personal ethical philosophy. We are ruled by the way we view issues and our possible contributions to those issues. As nurses, we should understand that every person is unique in their thinking, understanding and judgement. And this affects the way in which he or she sees his or her health. Therefore, we should be aware of their views when providing competent care to our patients. Therefore. Nurses should be aware of the factors that influences heir word view and develop moral compass. (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008).
Ethics is a science relating to moral actions and individual value system. It is a study of what person’s conduct and actions ought to be regarding self, another human being, and the environment. Nonmaleficence is a duty not to harm (McEwan, 2017, p.269). In nursing, our primary responsibility is to make sure that our patients are kept safe from harm. It is our primary duty and responsibility that we take when we care and treat the patients. This paper will discuss three risk management steps that could minimize patient injuries and death, the importance of reporting an error, and the essence of tort in the nursing practice.