Nurses face difficult situations where our sense to do the right thing is often challenged by the beliefs of other healthcare professionals. It is important to practice moral courage so that we can discuss the ethical issue and take action if doing the right thing proves to be a difficult choice. It will also be important for me to use my voice and speak up so I can do what is right while others may be trying to persuade me to act in another way. Nurses act as advocates in a patient’s care, making moral courage a necessity in the work environment. As a nurse I will be knowledgeable in ethical principles and models which will help me to be a major influence in patient care decision-making.
Behaviors which reflect altruism are showing an understanding of cultures, beliefs, and perspective of others, advocating for patients, taking risks on behalf of patients, and mentoring other professionals. Autonomy according to Taylor is the right to self-determination (2008). The nurse must respect the patient’s rights. The nurse should listen and act according to the patient’s wishes and needs not bullying him into cooperating with his treatment plan. The nurse shows such value by planning care in partnership with patients, honoring the right of patients to make decisions about healthcare, and providing information so that patients can make informed choices.
The nurse must be competent and use nursing judgement when delegating tasks to other personnel. The skills and knowledge should be assessed when a task is needed to be delegated and it must be within the individuals’ scope of practice to perform such task. (American nursing Association, 2017) Ethical Dilemma Example Telling the truth to a patient might cause them to become anxious or hypertensive, but it is the nurses’ duty to give the facts because the patient has rights to information pertaining to their healthcare. Telling the truth then gives the patients autonomy (the right to make one’s own decision) which is a moral principle the nurse should follow. Lying to the patient also causes loss of trust therefore; veracity is a moral principle that is involved with this dilemma.
Nursing professionals have the ethical accountability to be altruistic, meaning a nurse who cares for patients without self-interest. This results in a nurse functioning as a patient advocate, making decisions that are in the best interest of the patient and practicing sound nursing ethics. Since ethical dilemmas are not always easily answered through the use of The Code of Ethics, ethical decision-making models are effective tools that can assist nurses in dealing with ethical issues. Ethical decision-making models provide a framework for working through difficult choices. They seek to define the limits of what is morally acceptable and help clarify the guidelines for making those difficult decisions.
The term nursing ethics means that the nurse has an obligation judge what is right and wrong in her or his duties as guided by the profession or the moral principles that govern the profession and as prescribed by the professional body. Nursing ethics initially encompassed virtues that were desired in a nurse. At the time, these virtues included physician loyalty, commitment to high moral character and obedience. Evolvement of nursing profession gradually made nurses embrace patients’ advocacy. As patient advocates, nurses work as part of an interdisciplinary team to provide patient care.
There are a number of skills that public health nurses need to possess in order to provide ethical, client centered care. Nurses need to have the ability to identify ethical issues; use ethical decision making, understand the determinants of health; understand the basic concepts of justice, virtue and human rights; and build and maintain public trust (Thomas, 2004). These foundational skills align with the ANA code of ethics which define the ethical practice of nursing and guide nurses in their decision making. Furthermore, in our litigious society, case managers are concerned with the ethical-legal conflict in which they provide case management, obey the law, meet licensing requirement and regulations, please their employers and still act
(Macciocchi French, Bush, 2009) .also ,To influence patient care from an ethical perspective, nurse needs Knowledge of ethical principles, such as autonomy and beneficence,and to be a major player in the decision-making process regarding patient care ( Parker, F,2007) . A nurse who understands ethical principles, and can use this understanding to influence the health care team to apply these principles, has successfully used power by influencing the action and behaviours of others. (Parker, F.2007)In addition, profession such as nursing, this intends to serve the good of others with a direct impact on the health and lives. (Michael D. Dahnke PhD) .Also, the nurse involved in the establishment and improvement of health care settings to provide health care consistent with the values of the profession through collective action or individual. Also involved in the advancement of the profession through the development
The nursing practice is governed by a wide range of ethical standards that regulate the behaviour and performance of the practitioners in this field. Being a delicate profession, personal morals and virtues influence the behaviour of the practitioners at various levels. On various occasions, health professionals are faced with ethical dilemmas that require critical decision making to arrive at a resolution that conforms to the standards that govern this profession. Therefore, all practitioners should be armed to face numerous challenges within their experience in nursing practise and be equipped with strategies to work out quick solutions to these challenges. In my nursing experience, there are various personal, cultural and spiritual values that contribute to my worldview and philosophy in nursing.
“Care can be considered simply an ethical task and thus a burden of one more thing to do, or it can be considered a commitment to attending to and becoming enthusiastically involved in the patient’s needs” (Applying the Ethics of Care to your Nursing Practice, page 116). In this model, nurses need to be knowledgeable about human behavior and responses to health problems, individual needs, how to respond to others, and the strengths and limitations of the patient and family. The nurse also comforts and offers compassion, and empathy to the patient and family. There are many concepts in Jean Watson’s Theory of caring. The three major concepts that will be discussed are: transpersonal caring relationship, caring occasion/caring moment and the ten caritas processes.
Personal Ethics Many nurse’s experience ethical dilemmas in the healthcare system. It is important to establish a framework for nurses to make ethical decisions (Hentz, 2003). Regardless of what our own ethical perspectives may be, employees build up approaches with respect to suitable conduct in the working environment. These desires are viewed as our organizational ethics (What Do I Do, 2013). “Our choices are based on what we believe to be right, based on our upbringing, our culture, our spiritual perspectives, our peer group values, and other factors that are unique to each of us” (What Do I Do, 2013).