Essay On Categorical Imperative

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Ethics is defined as the morality that defines a person’s actions or behaviors; a viewpoint to see things as good or bad, right or wrong. Almost all clinical situations for a nurse have to do with ethics. We, as nurses, have a responsibility to do the right thing. A situation that comes to mind is when a patient who was addicted to opiates was recovering from a traumatic surgery. In report, the prior shift nurse made comments about the patient’s drug history, and that they were probably drug searching. I knew that my patient was in pain, and I made sure to keep up with the medication schedule. Just because a person has the disease of addiction, it does not mean they are immune to post-surgical pain. We take an oath to treat all patients with …show more content…

I had a patient who was in a coma, and many people would go in and out of the room without addressing the patient. I made sure to still explain what I was doing while in the room, and not disregard the patient. I took a vow to treat all patients with compassion, and this situation was no different. (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p. 44) Categorical Imperative is defined as something that a person must do if it is considered morally right; they are moral rules that come from principle. (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p. 45) When working on a trauma unit, one of my patients was homeless. When receiving report, the nurse made a few snide remarks about the woman, and that she was looking for room and board. I spent my shift treating the patient with respect, and no different than any of my other patients. It is morally right to treat all patients with respect. Practical imperative is the idea that you treat one person the same as you treat yourself. As well, as a nurse you must help anyone who needs help. (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p. 45-46) A clinical situation that shows this theory is when I helped a patient who needed the bedpan, even though I was done for the shift. Everyone else was busy with other patients. I would hope that someone would do the same for me, and not make me

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