The Nursing Code Of Ethics

If Lisa has been fully counseled and educated about all facets of terminating her pregnancy because her fetus has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), the nurse’s role is to support Lisa’s decision. The American Nursing Association Code of Ethics (2015), Provision 1.4, The Right of Self-Determination, states that in order to fully distinguish a person’s dignity, it is necessary to respect their right of self-determination. This provision additionally states that it is the responsibility of the nurse to educate the patient accurately and verify that the information is understood. After which, the patient has the right to make their decision without “duress, undue influence or coercion” and be supported “throughout the decision making and

The Code of Ethics and the Professional Identity assume a dependent relationship. Without one the other could not stand alone. When we search for the professional identity of a career we also look at how they were established and what boundaries do they follow. In nursing, as stated by the American Nurses Association “a code of ethics stands as a central and necessary mark of a profession”, (American Nurses Association, ANA, pg. xi). What this means is that without the rules of ethics in this profession we could not call ourselves “nurses” we would not be able to obtain boundaries in which our scope of practice is either limited or expanded. According to the ANA, when the standards of the nursing practice were developing boundaries, the nurses were told,” not permit their names to be used in connection with testimonials in the advertisements of its products”(ANA, ANA,, pg. xv). Telling nurses what they should not do and what they could do was a milestone that locked in the practice as an actual group with associated skills that were to be taken serious and an implementation the public could trust. Not only could the public gain trust for the nursing practice but the ethical code and professional identity also helped nurses protect themselves

For the purpose of this assignment, ethics in relation to nursing will be discussed. "Ethics; A code of principles governing correct behaviour, which in the nursing profession includes behaviour towards patients and their families, visitorsand colleagues" (Oxford Dictionary of Nursing 2004).

According to this case, a patient, who has not told his family that he has been living with HIV and AIDS for 14 years, has been admitted to the hospital for pneumonia. Before he fell into a coma, he disclosed to doctors that he did not want his family to know that he has HIV or AIDS. However, he does have a durable power of attorney, his brother, who has arrived at the hospital. Unfortunately, whether the doctor decides to uphold the patient’s request to keep the patient’s information quiet or decides to divulge information about the patient’s HIV and AIDS to his durable power of attorney, the doctor will have to break an ethical responsibility.

Аt firѕt, I could not ѕее аny good pointѕ in thiѕ ѕituаtion itѕеlf; howеvеr, looking bаck I cаn ѕее thаt it did hаvе itѕ poѕitivе ѕidе, in аѕ much аѕ аllowing mе to еxаminе myѕеlf аnd to ѕеаrch for my ѕhort fаllingѕ in rеlаtion to thе incidеnt. I fееl thаt if I wаѕ not а 1ѕt yеаr ѕtudеnt, I would hаvе hаd morе knowlеdgе or communicаtion ѕkillѕ on how to dеаl with аn incidеnt of thiѕ dеѕcription, I аlѕo think thаt bеcаuѕе thе ѕupport workеr wаѕ not а nurѕе, it mаdе it morе difficult for mе to mаkе а dеciѕion on whаt thе corrеct procеdurе ѕhould hаvе bееn.

Working in the nursing profession, nurses must be prepared to assess and support the diverse needs of the patient and their family. Every nurse, regardless of his or her specialty, encounters ethical challenges. However, public health nurses may face unique challenges in their distinct focus on the health of the population in addition to individuals (Haugh & Mildon, 2005). In this research paper, I will consider two case studies from the perspective of the nursing code of ethics, personal and societal values, and the legal aspects and responsibilities of the nurse.

As the nurse, I would be inclined to tell my patient the results. Being an adult, she is in charge of her own medical decisions, unless deemed unfit by a doctor. Since none of her children are the documented Medical Power of Attorney, and therefore do not have a legal say in her care, I would like my patient to have as much autonomy in her health care as possible. Even though the patient is aphasic, she is still mentally aware and conscious of what is happening around her. I would explain to the family that I understand their reasons and concerns, but legally their mother has a right to know. Withholding this information, would affect her decides to be medically treated, or not treated based on the test results. Although the family believes their decisions are beneficent for their mother, my job, as the nurse is to maintain focus and veracity on my patient’s best interest, ensuring she has all the information needed to make an informed decision on how she wants to move forward.

Why did I choose nursing? At the age of 43 I am back in school to further my education in the health field in nursing. Am I doing it to make a difference in the world or as a longstanding career? To be a nurse, it takes a special type of person that has extraordinary personal qualities and traits. A good nurse should have compassion, respect, and the need and want to help others. Therefore be sensitive, but passionate about their work. The experience that draws me to this area of work ; working in an emergency room for almost six years as a patient care technician and an emergency technician(EMT) has given me an inside view on nursing. Twenty years ago if you would have asked me to go visit someone in a hospital, I would have come up with some kind of an excuse not to go. I dreaded the place; seeing people sick, the smell, the hurting, and dying was the last thing I wanted to see. After taking care of my sick mom had given me that courage to face the unforeseeable future of working in the medical field. Following the passing of my mom, I became a Certified Nursing Assistant in a nursing home. In addition, I became a patient care technician, which led to a Certified Emergency Technician at an emergency room. I am currently still employed at the hospital, which has given an opportunity to be a part of a great emergency team of Physicians, Physician Assistants, and nurses. I am

When working in a professional setting there are certain rules the employee’s must follow. Every major profession has a code of ethics, that sets standards and guidelines that are set in place to protect both the professional and the client. Ethics play a key role in day to day business. This paper will discuss the nurse’s code of ethics, the advantages and disadvantages, and difficulties that the author may have following the established code. This paper will also discuss whether or not there are rules that have too much emphasis on them, and rules that do not.

According to the Code of Ethics, Code of Conduct and the Treaty of Waitangi the nurse’s professional responsibility is primarily to the patient. The nurse is an advocate for the patient and works in partnership with him, not in a position of power over him. Thus in order to overcome the ethical dilemma, adhere to ethical principles and professional standards, the nurse should not follow the family’s request but in fact should respect Ricky’s dignity, rights, autonomy and self-determination. “The choices and values of the competent patient should always be given highest priority “(Fry, Veatch & Taylor, 2011, p. 437). According to the Mental Health Act Ricky has rights as mental health patient such as Sec. 64 Ricky has right to information on rights as a patient; Sec. 66 Ricky has right to treatment; Sec. 67 Ricky has right to be informed about treatment and Sec. 11 Ricky has right to refuse medical treatment

In the Code of Ethics for Nurses, the author states that it is a nurse’s responsibility to create a safe environment that protects the discussion of personal information for individuals, families and communities from leaking to unwanted sources.

The call bells are ringing, the doctor is asking for laboratory results, and the patient is complaining of chest pain; all these are happening at the same time and handled by a single person—the nurse. In today’s society, nurses’ roles and responsibilities have drastically changed. Nurses are not only limited to a hospital setting where they are assessing patients, handing out medications or assisting doctors. Nurses are also a counselor, an agent of change and a patient’s advocate. Nurses can also be an educator in a classroom setting, during clinical practice of student nurses or through public presentations. In addition, nurses can also take up roles as part of the administration. Even though nurses’ workloads are constantly changing,

Nursing Ethics can be broadly described as the evaluation of all types of ethical issues within the nursing context (Johnstone, 2013, p. 141) or defined as a set of ethical principles and standards of conduct formed and adapted by professional nursing organisations (Clement, 2013). These ethical principles are to serve as guides to all nurses in evaluating ethical issues in practice and to aid the public in assessing the behaviour and conduct of nurses in their professional responsibilities (Nursing Council of New Zealand [NCNZ], 2012, p. 2). It is essential for nurses to uphold and maintain these exemplary standards of conduct along with a good understanding of ethics in order to prevent ethical mistakes and not to rush to judgment (Johnstone, 2013, pp. 138-139).

Health professionals hold the commitment of providing quality health care to the society in order to fulfil the health concerns of the general population presented daily. Hence, health care practices are established on ethical principles concerning the life and health of human being accordingly. Its values place all obligation in which patients are protected from harm and hold individual rights which must be respected. Nonetheless, circumstances present, as expected, preventing health professionals to act according to ethical values and standards. The code of ethics for nurses highlights the many different principles, putting into perspective the philosophy of patient care.

As a Nursing major, I look forward to working in the Health Care Sector. There are several ethical codes in the nursing profession. Nurses have a responsibility to provide safe and complete care to their patients. In this profession, maintaining patient’s confidentiality is also a major code that cannot be overemphasized. The profession also builds team-work spirit among professionals.