According to the website of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing it states, “Because nursing care poses a risk of harm to the public if practiced by professionals who are unprepared or incompetent, the state, through its police powers, is required to protect its citizens from harm.” This statement is very significant because it simply states the basis of why there is a State Board of Nursing, it is to regulate nursing practice. It is imperative that patients are protected from harm and that the nurse practices within their scope of practice. Due to the fact that there are governing agencies and legislation for nurses it decreases the likelihood of incompetent care to be given. Nurses are educated to provide safe and competent care and that is validated with a nursing license. If the care given to patients is not safe there are consequences and these are enforced by the State Board of Nursing. Additionally, nurses are professionals who implement ethics, values, and goals. The American Nurses Association has deemed 2015 the “year of ethics” due to the release of the revised code of ethics. This code of ethics embraces nursing behaviors that should be incorporated in the quality care that is given to patients from nurses. One of the ethical provisions is to maintain proper boundaries between the nurse and the patient and/or family. In order to provide safe care there needs to be professional boundaries between the nurse and the patient. If the lines are blurred it
Nursing is a health care practice that is more directed onto care of individuals by ensuring their recovery and quality assurance in health. Their scope of practice is differentiated by their approach methodologies. Nursing has diversified and in response to the rise of practice, prior education and training is now effected in many states in America. One of the states, Kentucky, has well-established schools, frontier schools, and colleges to facilitate the dependability of nursing practitioners. In conjunction to the status requirements of nursing and certification of the American nurses Association, the state of Kentucky has formed the Kentucky Board of Nursing, a Commonwealth agency of Kentucky. The board is a distinctive entity in the nursing profession whose objective is to protect the public's health welfare through the development and reinforcement of laws and regulations that govern safe health practice through nursing.
Ethical practice is another component of the social contract of nursing which is a reflection of the values, beliefs and moral principles of the nursing profession. The American Nurses Association (ANA) has established the “Code of Ethics for Nurses” which serves as a “guideline” for the nursing profession in which clinical judgements and
The topic of ethics is prevalent in health care and addresses a broad range of topics in nursing. In almost every interaction with a patient there could be a situation that may bring up the question of ethics. Fortunately, there is the realization that placing the nurse in the care of a patient, may put the medical personnel in an environment where the ethics are questioned. There are whole departments dedicated to advising nurses in these situations. There are also ethic committees to help guide you when you find yourself in a situation that may question your practice or circumstances.
The Illinois State Board of Nursing is overseen by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). To have an agency that ensures the safe practice of nursing by monitoring license compliance and to take action against those that practice unsafely, protects the safety of the public. Therefore, any person who deems a nurse’s behavior or action in violation of a law or rule can file a complaint.
Healthcare professionals have an ethical obligation to respect patient’s wishes. Consequently, many legal and ethical dilemmas arise in healthcare in response to clinical decisions related to the needs, beliefs, and preferences of patients and families. Other dilemmas result over concerns about the integrity, competence, or actions of other healthcare professionals. Preserving human dignity, relieving suffering, equality, integrity, and accountability are essential nursing values (Kangasniemi, Pakkanen, & Korhonen, 2015). Nurse leaders have an
Regulatory agencies are government agencies created to provide rules by defining laws, concepts and authorities. There are federal and state regulatory agencies with different levels of involvement and collaboration with professional associations. These government regulatory agencies are shaped by the assistance of associations with functional differences like the Board of Nursing (BRN) and Professional Nursing Organization (PNO). The Board of Nursing has the function of ensuring that the standard of practice in nursing is being followed and keeping the health care consumers safety as a priority. The board of registered nurses protects the
The meeting I attended was the Arizona State Board of Nursing via livestream on September 17, 2015. This meeting is open to the public to attend or watch online livestream which is what I did. The members of attendance were: Board President Randy C. Quinn, RN, MSN, CRNA, Board Vice President Carolyn Jo McCormies, RN, MS, FNP-BC, Board Secretary Terri Berrigan, LPN, C-AL, and Board Members Lori A. Gutierrez, BS, RN-C, DON-CLTC, CBN, Jana Machesky, LPN, Kathryn L. Busby, J.D., Dr. Kimberly A. Post, DPN, MBA/HCM, RN, NEA-BC, M. Shawn Harrell, RN, MS, and lastly Melinda Pheanis Preston, DNP, APRN, PMHNP-BC. According to the Arizona Board of Nursing mission statement their organization protects and promotes the welfare of the public ensuring that each person holding a nursing license of the practice of nursing license or certificate is competent to practice safely (“Mission Statement,” n.d.). The purpose of these board meetings is to discuss any regulations that need investigating so they keep the nursing standards to protect the public. This involves bringing forth nurses to discuss any disciplinary actions that have been brought up against them or that needs further review.
The Virginia Board of Nursing has one main purpose: to keep the general public safe. There are twelve volunteer board members who carry the responsibility of giving a defendant a chance to explain the motive for their actions that merited the Formal Hearing. The board takes the time to listen to witnesses, investigators, and other pertinent persons that are involved in the case. They will then go into a closed session and make a collaborative decision whether the defendant is safe and competent to practice under their nursing license.
I learned that as a nurse it is my duty to always consider my own well being, along with my patient’s. I must keep a high moral character both in the workplace and in my personal life. I must continue to educate myself and keep myself up to date with all the latest nursing practices and research. I must subject myself to peer review and evaluation. I must never let my personal feelings about a patient’s lifestyle affect my care for them. When met with a tough choice that places me in an ethical crisis I must keep a good head on my shoulders and always have my patient’s best interests in mind. If I feel that a situation at work is in direct conflict with my personal values or my oath to be an ethical nurse I must go through the proper channels to work through the problem.
There are nine provisions included in the ANA code of ethics. The provisions can be broken into three categories. The first category is the nurse’s ethical responsibilities to her patient which is provisions one through three. Second is the nurse’s obligation to herself, provisions four through six. The third ethical requirement for nurses is related to their relationship to the nursing profession, community, nation, and world overall. This focus is summarized in provisions seven through nine [ (American Nurses Association, 2013) ].
Nursing surrounds the concept of patient care physically, mentally and ethically. The therapeutic relationship that is created is built on the knowledge and skills of the nurse and relies on patient and nurse trusting one another. The use of nursing skills can ensure these boundaries are maintained, it allows for safe patient care. Professional boundaries are the line that nurses cannot cross, involving aspects such as patient confidentiality and privacy, ensuring legal aspects of nursing and the boundaries put in place are not breached. However, nurses accepting financial or personal gain from patient can also cross these professional boundaries. It is only through education in this area that the rights of patients can be preserved, as
As healthcare providers, maintaining a patient’s confidentiality, human dignity and privacy is expected at all times. Nurses are faced with maintaining patient confidentiality on a daily basis. The Coded of Ethics for Nurses is the framework of nonnegotiable ethical standards and obligations that all nurses are to uphold. Nurses are to be accountable for their actions and are expected to advocate and strive to protect the rights, health and safety of patients (American Nurses Association, 2011).
Ethical issues in nursing will always be an ongoing learning process. Nurses are taught in nursing school what should be done and how. Scenarios are given on tests with one right answer. However, there are situations that nurses may encounter that may have multiple answers and it is hard to choose one. “Ethical directives are not always clearly evident and people sometimes disagree about what is right and wrong” (Butts & Rich, 2016). When an ethical decision is made by a nurse, there must be a logical justification and not just emotions.
As an individual’s ethics will play a large part in their practice, there are specific guidelines and legislation that exist to ensure that nurses, as well as other health professionals, practice in a way that is ethical (Avery, 2013). These laws further exists to attempt to simplify the ethical issues that sometimes present in nursing practice and to attempt to guide one’s actions. The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) provides guidance to nurses by providing a number of professional codes and guidelines (Avery, 2013). The NMBA has developed a code of ethics for nurses comprising of eight codes (Avery, 2013). These are as follows; 1) Nurses value quality nursing care for all people; 2) Nurses value respect and kindness for self and others;
Nurses are subject to a plethora of legal, ethical, and professional duties which can be very challenging on a day to day basis. Some of these duties include respecting a patient 's confidentiality and autonomy, and to recognize the duty of care that is owed to all patients. As nurses our duties are always professional; however there are legal implications if these duties are breached. We also must consider when it is okay as nurses to breach these duties and therefore ethical issues arise. As nurses one of our main priorities is to advocate for our patients, without our own personal feelings on the matter taking over.