Although the profession of nursing has certainly evolved throughout its illustrious history, the basic ideals and core values of the profession have not. Indeed this idea is also reflected in societal views of nurses. According to the annual Gallup poll ranking honesty and ethics in various professions, nursing ranks the highest amongst any field; beating out other professions by double digits when it comes to trustworthiness (Gallup 2015). Where does this societal view of trustworthiness come from? This is due mainly to the work ethic and values that nurses employ on a daily basis in their jobs. Nurses have been known historically as patient advocates in the utmost regard. Nurses consistently look out for the best interest of the patient. …show more content…
Historically nurses have been known to be the main caretaker for patients. This development is a result of many facets, but most notably on the battlefield in wars past. It was the battlefield where nurses found their purpose in advocating for their patients. In the earliest days of battlefield hospitals conditions were often completely unsanitary, a product of poor general hygiene by both patients and practitioners alike. Oftentimes this would lead to further disease of patients, thereby making the hospitals almost as deadly as the battlefield: “disease was still the main enemy to be faced, and epidemics of typhoid, malaria, measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever and dysentery were far more effective than any human enemy at putting entire regiments out of action. Two thirds of the 600,000 who died during the Civil War succumbed to disease” (Grant 2002). As a result of these deplorable conditions battlefield nurses stepped up in an effort to mitigate these factors. Clara Barton, shortly before the American Civil War believed that it was “Her duty as a Christian.” To help the soldiers in any way she could. Therefore, with the help of several aid societies she began with gathering basic supplies for soldiers, and would later on go to be in charge of the field hospital for The Army of The James (Oates 1994). If it were not for the advocacy of Barton many thousands of soldiers would have died without her
Deontology is an ethical theory concerned with duties and rights. The founder of deontological ethics was a German philosopher named Immanuel Kant. Kant’s deontological perspective implies people are sensitive to moral duties that require or prohibit certain behaviors, irrespective of the consequences (Tanner, Medin, & Iliev, 2008). The main focus of deontology is duty: deontology is derived from the Greek word deon, meaning duty. A duty is morally mandated action, for instance, the duty never to lie and always to keep your word. Based on Kant, even when individuals do not want to act on duty they are ethically obligated to do so (Rich, 2008).
Planning included reaching out to other health organizations, objectives, and goals of health fair were established. The implementation includes getting volunteers, set up for the health fair. The evaluation of the process occurred throughout the implementation and changes were made as needed. The evaluation will be completed by gathering information from health booth to determine the number of participants. Review vendor and participant evaluations about the health fair including how they heard about the health fair, ratings of booths and suggestions for improvements. Record everything to determine changes. Reflection on past experiences and what worked and did not work.
Before Nightingale, nurses were lower class citizens that were alcoholics or prostitutes with no to a little education. Florence Nightingale realized that nurses ought to have some education in caring for others and be of a higher class. In 1860, she opened the first nursing school in London that did not accept prostitutes and alcoholics. To signify Nightingale’s view of nursing, Lystra Gretter composed a Hippocratic Oath for nurses called the Nightingale pledge.
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 authority to consult and address their patients on a more communicative or interactive level as a result of which they are often trapped in predicaments where their treatments of action and their personal beliefs create a conflict with the health interests of the patient. (Timby, 2008)
Since you examined the number of moral issues you will face in this profession, look through the code of ethics that you chose for this assignment and explain
The word ethics is derived from the Greek word ethos, which means character (1). Being moral always fills a nurse with morals respects, guidelines of good judgment and expert lead. There are three essential obligations for nurses, among many other which are the duty of autonomy, confidentiality, and obligation of care to all patients (2). There are professional duties with becoming distinctly legitimate obligations if any law and policies are ruptured in between professional practice. In 2001, a review found that there was an apparent requirement for more guidance on moral predicaments inside the medical professionals, subsequent to expanding legal cases and open request (3). Medical attendants ought to withstand to regulatory law and statutory law while managing the nursing practice.
Although nursing is universally practiced, not all nurses values and morals are the same. Nurses and nursing students are usually put in situations where they must operate within an ethical structure which is either unfamiliar to their cultural criterion or those of the patients for whom they are taking care of. The most prominent values and morals of nurses are based on human dignity and benevolence. Human dignity is the main component that branches off into other values under caring for health and well-being. Trust, integrity, autonomy, and privacy are one of the many sub-values that fall under human dignity. It is important for the nurses to respect and understand the culture and beliefs of the patient without being judgmental or confrontational. The wellbeing of the patient is priority and so the nurses must focus on gaining the patients trust first by tending to their needs and exhibiting
Every Wednesday I was assigned a patient to attend to by a specific nurse who was also my supervisor in a hospital setting. My instructor ensured that this nurse followed my progress in respect to the way I was to handle the patient through written report. While taking care of the patient, I recorded various changes, he/she indicates towards recovery. I reported these changes to the nurse. While participating in this activity, I was expected to follow the strict guidelines by the instructor and nurse; as required by the rules and regulations, and code of conduct in nursing.
...can be minimized when nurses-patients’ rights are prioritized, moral integrity and trust is upheld, limiting the adverse effect of ethical climate and moral distress among nurses.
Working in health care is an important job. People put their trust in us to do our very best to provide them with the absolute best care. Being entrusted with such responsibility requires nurses to conduct themselves both professionally and ethically. Nurses must adhere to the professional values of human dignity, integrity, autonomy, altruism, and social justice. It is these five values that guide us in our practice and as nurses we must promote and emulate these values. They play an important role in the quality of treatment and success of an organization and help us determine right from wrong.
Friendships may be formed; however, having professional interactions is something that is not always followed. In terms of patient confidentiality, we may not realize that a HIPPA violation has occurred due to a friendly conversation with coworkers. If a patient were to overhear their nurse discussing their information in an unprofessional manner, then it may cause issues with a patient’s dignity and their rights. If a patient’s right is violated, then it can lead to a patient’s mistrust in their caregiver, leading to mistrust in the facilities, and can end with a patient’s health being compromised. The patient is the reason for this career; if the needs of the patient are being unmet or violated then the purpose of our occupation will be unsuccessful and indifferent.
Patients need to be able to trust their nurse to ensure that they get the quality of care that the patient deserves. Nurses should practice teamwork, evidence based knowledge, ho-listic care, and ethics that meet the standards for all nurses (Ritchie & Gilmore, 2013). Nurses not only care for the patients at the hospital, but they also teach students who come to the hospi-tal to learn and get experience to become a registered nurse. These nurses share their knowledge with the students and model a positive outlook and attitude toward their job as a registered nurse (Ritchie and Gilmore, 2013). To be a successful nurse you need to possess all of these qualities and have a good attitude towards your job to be able to enjoy and excel in your field.
Ethics is defined as moral principles that govern a persons or a group’s behavior, ethical principles apply to both personal and professional relationships (Webster, 2015). The field of nursing is a profession that has been highly regarded and respected in society. Most nurses enter the profession in order to utilize their clinical skills to help others in their time of need. Those in failing health rely on nurses to care for them in their most vulnerable states, and expect a level of compassion and humanity while receiving care. Nurses have an ethical responsibility to their patients, clients, and their community. Compassion, empathy, and integrity are staple characteristics that nurses possess that allow them to successfully perform their
Defining what a nurse is varies from person to person. Some have described a nurse as a person who shows care to their patients while others say that nurses assist to regain the ill’s health back. There is no wrong answer in defining what a nurse is. Moreover, I believe that a nurse is one who treats their patients with the dignity and respect that they deserve, and assists them in promoting and preventing their health illness and lastly, enhancing their health to optimal status. Nursing is viewed as a human science because nurse must display a connection with each patient. One must view the patients as a person, who has feelings, who behaves a certain way and who deserve to be well cared for. In addition, nursing is not a profession that treats
Ethics asses the values, morals, and principles of nurses. Legal codes or laws are rules established by our government. It’s important that nurses have a clear and comprehensive understanding of ethical and legal codes within their career. The understanding of these codes is essential for nurses to safely practice and to protect their patients. Nurses must abide by these principles or face the consequences of legal action. These principles include autonomy, utilitarianism, confidentiality, and many others. Autonomy is the agreement to respect ones right to determine a course of action, while utilitarianism is what is best for most people as defined in American Nurses Association. In order to give you a