Nursing as a Discipline

For centuries the development of nursing knowledge has been influenced by numerous theorists and their respective theories. These theories have influenced, and continue to influence, nursing education, practice and research. (Johnson & Webber, 2005)

According to Barbara Caper as cited in Chinn and Kramer (2011, p 1), people generally develop the knowledge about based on what’s they belief or valued in that. Therefore, the personal valued is the key creating or generating the knowledge. Similarly to nursing perspective which it based on nursing philosophical lens is the key to develop theory of nursing sciences. In other words, philosophy in nursing reflects nursing-knowing of perceiving or understanding in a particular phenomenon and expresses or communicates it as the knowledge to others in many forms including the theory of nursing sciences (Chinn & Kramer, 2011; Meleis, 2012).

Ethical dilemmas are the main common challenges faced by nurses, during practice almost on daily basis. These dilemmas can erupt amongst nurses themselves, or nurses and doctors and the worst between nurses and patients.

Nurses are faced with ethical dilemmas or ethical distress every day, each situation being unique and requiring nurses to set aside their own values and beliefs in order to provide proper care for their patients (Ramos, Brehmer, Vargas, Trombetta, Silveira, & Drago, 2015). Ethical dilemmas allow nurses to learn more about themselves and help shape their morals and values (Potter & Perry, 2014). An ethical dilemma arises in a situation in which no solution seems completely satisfactory (Drumwright, 2012).

An ethical dilemma is defined as a mental state when the nurse has to make a choice between the options and choices that he or she has at her disposal. The choice is a crucial task as the opting of the step will subsequently determine the health status of the concerned patient, hence it requires a great deal of wisdom along with proper medical and health training before any such step is opted as it is a matter of life and death. Strong emphasis should therefore be on the acquisition of proper knowledge and skills so that nurses do posses the autonomy to interact with patients regarding ethical issues involved in health care affairs and address them efficiently. It is normally argued that nurses are not provided sufficient

Nursing is not an easy job and those who chose it as their profession are truly special people. Nurses are confronted with ethical decisions that need to be made on a daily basis. Often they know the right thing to do but because of circumstances like institutional structure and conflicts with others, obstacles are created and distress ensues (Jenner, 2001). It is during times like these that nurses must rely on the training that they have received as well as the code of ethics that has been set down for their profession in order to do the right thing.

According to the American Nurses Association, “Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (ANA, 2010b). Nursing has come a long ways. From primitive times when caring for the sick was predominantly the rule of medicine-men who acquired the skills from their ancestors, to the era when it was viewed as a mean profession for prostitutes and nowadays when it is considered a noble profession with trained and skilled personnel.

Nurses are faced with ethical issues and dilemmas on a regular basis. Nurses must understand his or her values and morals to be able to deal adequately with the ethical issues he or she is faced with. Some ethical issues nurses are exposed to may be more difficult than others and the ethical decision making process is learned over time.

The student nurse has a personal definition of nursing as collaboratively caring of all individuals in a holistic manner, focusing on the prevention of illness and injury, diagnosis of symptoms, treatment of condition, and promotion of health and wellness. Nursing from a practical stance can be defined as the act of assessing a patient, diagnosis of the patient, providing patient outcomes, identification of a treatment plan, implementation of a plan, and evaluation of the plan. Anyone with a set of skills can practice the act of nursing, but it takes a special person to actually be a nurse. A nurse should be invested in the patient, be an advocate for the patient, and above all be caring towards the patient. A patient will surely not remember which nurse gave the best shot, but they will remember which nurse was the most caring. Nursing is more than administering medications and performing skills, but rather it is an art of knowledge and critical thinking combined with compassion and care.

Nursing ethics shares many principles with medical ethics, such as beneficence, non-maleficence and respect for autonomy. It can be distinguished by its emphasis on relationships, human dignity and collaborative care. In the field of nursing we are often times faced with dilemmas that cause us to walk the fine line of ethical practice and safe judgment. As in any case what must be realized, calculated, and measured is the simple fact that what we do on a day to day basis is protecting that which matters the most. We are the guardians of what all people hold near and

`Ethics' is defined as ."..the basis on which people...decide that certain actions are right or wrong and whether one ought to do something or has a right to something"(Rumbold, 1986). In relating `ethics' to nursing care, "Nursing decisions affect people... nurses have the power to good or harm to their patients" (Bandman et al, 2002). In this essay, the author will also identify the most important ethical principles and concepts of Evan's case, will outline the different stages of one's approach to ethical decision-making by utilising the "DECIDE Model for Ethical Decision-Making" founded by Thompson et al (2000) and will make a decision on the best course of action to take as a nurse in this

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

Ethics and Morals play an important role in the nursing profession; nurses are confronted with choices to make every day, and some of them more challenging than others. Ethics are affirmations between what it can be right or erroneous. For our society ethics is presented as a complex system of principles and beliefs. This system serves as an approach with the purpose of ensuring the protection of each individual within the society. On the other hand, morals are basic standards between what is right or wrong; each individual learns to identify these standards during the early stages of human development (Catalano, 2009). A person with morals is usually somebody who recognizes how to respond to the needs of another individual by giving care and keeping a level of responsibility while giving this care (Catalano, 2009).

The topic of this paper is to identify historical events in nursing. This topic grasps my attention because I am on the track to become a nurse, and feel I need to know about the history of nursing. The purpose of this paper is to inform the reader about historical highlights in nursing.

In order to critically examine the concepts central to the discipline of nursing it is important to clarify my understanding of what constitutes a discipline. Nursing literature has led me to understand that a discipline can be, in simple terms, thought of as a field of study with a unique perspective which gives rise to the nature and scope of inquiry of that field and therefore leads to a specialized body of knowledge (Parker, M & Smith, M, 2010). In attempt to cement nursing’s place in the professional world and in an effort to distinguish it from other disciplines it seems imperative that nursing itself agree on the discipline’s most significant concepts. Through early course readings it