Personal Integrity, Trustworthiness, And Credibility

Honesty is also one of ethical consideration, a very important value and must be followed within health and social care practice because honesty is a way also how people will treat you as a person, if you started dishonesty to that person they won’t believe you in the end and honesty also an expectation of individuals receiving health and social care service. That’s why in this organisation being trustworthy and truthful to others is a fact working in health and social care setting.

When it comes to a nursing philosophy, every nurse has their own values, beliefs, and ideals that are different and unique from others. It presents a great challenge when incorporating these ideas into a professional practice. “Professional values are standards for actions accepted by the practitioner and professional group that provide a framework influencing the behavior of the group.” (“Professional Values: The Case for RN-BSN Completion Education,” 2008, p.1). Identifying which values are most important will have a huge

The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics provides many professional traits that can be incorporated to an interdisciplinary team of healthcare professionals such as compassion and respect, advocacy, accountability for nursing practice and participation in advancement of the nursing career (Cherry, 2011). Compassion is a very important aspect of the nursing profession. It would be very difficult to be a nurse without being compassionate. Nurses demonstrate compassion and respect daily in their work by actively listening to patients’ and family members’ problems and concerns and by empathy when appropriate. Advocacy is a nursing trait constantly used by the entire interdisciplinary team. Nurses advocate for patients’ right of autonomy for decision making in regards to their care, treatments and procedures. Also, nurses are in the best position to serve as a bridge between the patient and the interdisciplinary team. Accountability is so essential in the nursing profession. Nurses are accountable for their own nursing practices and for our patients.

Integrity is being honest and exhibiting a professional code of ethics (Shaw &Degazon, 2008). Additionally, integrity is simply doing what is right. It is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principle (American Nurses Association, 2015). Florence Nightingale stated, “Be everyday more and more real, honest, and thorough in your nursing work” (Dossey, 56). Nightingale is a model of integrity in the nursing profession. She stood up and did what needed to be done for her patients, despite opposition from others (Dossey, 2005). Nurses have topped the Gallup’s annual polls on honesty and ethics for the past fifteen years (Norman, 2016). Trust is a key component of relationships and certainly involves honesty. This Gallup pole indicates the importance of the nursing profession to healthcare. Nurses are patient advocates and at the bedside on a consistent basis. Likewise, they are the ones caring for patients in their most vulnerable states. Therefore, nurses must display integrity at all times. In a profession that relies on honesty and trust, it is important for nurses to regularly evaluate their integrity and look for ways to improve it.

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a case study addressing ethical leadership, analyzing application of standardized code of ethics on nursing practice, and discussing issues in safety for quality patient care. This paper will support the importance of confidentiality when discussing protected patient information. In addition, the need for continuing education and training for nursing through identification of Federal and State regulations as applied to nursing practice will be

“Autonomous nursing practice as defined as full command of expert knowledge and allowing for accountability and authority in decision making” (Creasia & Friberg, 2011, pg. 47). A doctor will more likely see a nurse as a professional once they show competence and autonomy, which in turn, will provide a positive nurse-physician relationship due to the trust built between professionals. A physician must be able to trust a nurse’s judgment and assessment skills to be able to provide a collaborative care for the patient. The wheel of professionalism is designed to compare nurses' professional behavior with other professions, which places university-based education as central to professionalism, which then leads to a strong code of ethics, professional recognition and continuing education to maintain nursing competence (Yam, 2004). As a nurse achieves a status of professionalism, a nurse will view oneself as an equal partner in the health care team, which in turn will boost confidence and support for a more proactive and confident nurse.

Integrity is a vital quality as a nurse related to the fact that patients literally entrust their lives to their healthcare team. According to Proverbs 10:9 "whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out." God is pleased with a person of integrity. I Chronicles 29:17a states "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity." Nurses have the ethical obligation to maintain competence and proficiency, and as Christians, they also are morally bound to develop the virtues of honesty and integrity.

I will not alter any facts or rules just for personal benefit or gain, and will always be dependable, trustworthy and reliable for the organization. I promise to build my reputation only on the basis of merit, and nothing else. I strongly believe that in order to receive fair treatment from others, it is very important to demonstrate that within yourself first. Thus, I try my best to be polite and respectful to everyone I meet. This ensures that I don't add to anyone's problems, if any, and provides for polite interaction with everyone I encounter. With integrity comes courage. I will never hesitate to stand up for what is right, and I will do so even if I am in a difficult situation that demands me to ignore my personal feelings. I will always support the truth and never let anyone influence me to do otherwise. I will not give in to peer pressure and will never let the fear of failing affect my actions. I would like to conclude by saying that it is the responsibility of every healthcare administrator to abide by a code of ethics in healthcare that will benefit not only themselves, but also their working environment, and society as a whole. My list of personal ethics will definitely help me fulfill my responsibility as a healthcare

Beginning in Ancient Greece, philosophers, authors, and researchers have been exploring authenticity. It was not until 2003 when author Bill George discussed and incorporated authenticity as a leadership theory in his book Authentic Leadership (Kruse, 2013). This paper will discuss authentic leadership and its application to nursing practice. It will combine and relate a number of peer-reviewed journals, articles, and Brené Brown’s professional development book, Daring Greatly, to substantiate why this leadership theory is effective in the nursing profession. Authentic leadership and vulnerability greatly enhance a leader’s influence and has the ability to strengthen the nursing profession overall.

Integrity is a deeply individualized phenomenon. It is the correlation between a person’s actions and their beliefs, principles, or convictions. Additionally, integrity correlates an individual’s actions and their self-understanding. When an individual identifies himself or herself as a nurse, there are often underlying personal characteristics that accompany. For example, most nurses identify themselves as caring individuals far before they become a practicing nurse. Ultimately, acting within an individual’s self-understanding is a demonstration of integrity (Nelson & Gordon, 2006). The integrity of the nursing profession has been challenged as the goals of healthcare delivery have shifted to improving the bottom line, leaving one to question if nursing has lost sight of its foundation, caring. In her reflection of the Caring Conference, Lou Reida’s expressed, “… I have been challenged to reflect on how I, as a future leader, will be able to find a balance between nurturing the caring spirit of nurses and the business component of healthcare,” (Reida, BSN, 2009). The purpose of this paper is to discuss how integrity of nursing may be compromised and the importance of leadership in the persistence of integrity throughout the profession.

Furthermore, integrity is very important in the nursing profession because it represents moral principles, honesty and sincerity. Nurses demonstrate integrity every day; most importantly, integrity is illustrated in every action in a nurse’s role. Hence, integrity is accepting responsibilities for one’s actions and helping rather than harming. The best example for integrity in the nursing filed is not leaving undone duties from one shift to another, this is best described as helping one another instead of making it difficult for each other. Another important aspect of caring is human dignity, which is described as the right to be treated with honor and respect. People should not be judged or classified; accordingly, no matter how a person’s appearance is illustrated, every human being has the right to be treated with dignity by demonstrating honor and respect. Culture has a great impact in today’s society, different cultures have unequal believes; thus, nurse’s need to respect those believes and provide quality care for those patients accordingly. For instance, in some cultures people do not believe in certain medications; as a result, the

In a highly respected profession such as nursing, professionalism is an important element to staying employed and setting one’s self apart from the rest of the applicants when competing for a potential job. By definition professionalism are the qualities and traits that describe a professional. While knowledge is crucial in any profession, according to an article published by the University of Kansas (2012), “all medical professionals must strive to retain those humanistic qualities integrity, respect, and compassion that constitute the essence of professionalism.” Whether you work in a hospital or administration these three qualities encompass the core of nursing and exemplify what it means to be a professional.

The combination of professionalism and ethics can be equated with an extraordinary nurse because they are core components in the nursing profession and crucial to patient trust, confidence and wellbeing. Having a degree in nursing is not what makes one a professional. Professionalism is

Nursing, in my view, has always been a field in which moral courage was inherent. Nursing is one of the few fields in which individuals disregard their own personal wellbeing in favor of other people’s health. Moral courage is an elusive topic to define, as it is such an intangible concept. According to Murray, “moral courage is considered to be the pinnacle of ethical behavior; it requires a steadfast commitment to fundamental ethical principles despite potential risks, such as threats to reputation, shame, emotional anxiety, isolation from colleagues, retaliation, and loss of employment (2010.) To exemplify this issue, Murray continued to give an example of moral courage with a novice nurse named Emily.

As nurses, we need to have confidence, good viewpoints, strong beliefs spiritual understandings and moral values in developing a powerful image. “I have always believed you are what you think you are.” (Coelho, n.d). If you’re honest, have self-confidence, reliable, sound principles, and respect; you can acquire the capability to be successful. (Posner, n.d.).