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Professional ethics are of paramount importance in the health profession
Ethics and professionalism in the healthcare field
Importance of nursing profession
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to highlight the values which are important to the professional nurse working in the healthcare setting. Many studies have been done on what a professional nurse should and should not do; but some of the results remain the same. This paper explores the various attributes which professional nurses should possess. It also delves into some ethical and Christian principles which nurses should abide by. What does it mean to be professional nurse? What are the values necessary to be a good nurse? How does Christianity play a role in the way nurses treat patients? In this paper, I will be using some writings from Carol Taylor, PhD, MSN, RN to better showcase the meaning of professional values and professional
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Five values which epitomized the professional nurse are as follow: altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice. Every nurse should carefully examine himself to see if he possesses those traits for they are essential for nursing practice. Altruism in Taylor’s words is a concern for the welfare and well-being of others (2008). It is no secret that a nurse’s job is primarily care based; therefore, it is of utmost importance to reflect altruism in nursing practice. 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. Based on studies this value is one of the most important. For when a patient comes to the hospital for care, he is at his worse; therefore, a nurse should do whatever is in his power to let the patient be autonomous in his own treatment
Professionalism in the workplace in many professions can be simplified into general categories such as neat appearance, interaction with clients, punctuality, general subject knowledge, and likability. In nursing, professionalism encompasses a much more broad and inclusive set of criteria than any other profession. Nurses specifically are held to a higher standard in nearly every part of their job. Nurses are not only expected to uphold what it seen as professional in the aforementioned categories, but they are also expected to promote health, wellbeing, and advocate for patients, but also continually provide the highest standard of care, demonstrate exemplary subject and procedural knowledge, and abide by the Code of ethics set forth by the American Nurses Association. This Code of Ethics includes the complex moral and ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, fidelity, honesty, and integrity.
According to Arries & Cur (2005), “the virtue ethics in nursing can be viewed as an approach of ethical deliberation about the moral character and dispositions of nurses as moral agents that enables them, as virtuous human beings, to fulfill their purpose and function as professional people.” The nurse exercises virtues of honesty, truthfulness, benevolence and moral courage to fulfill code of ethics and address ethical dilemmas. According to ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses and Interpretive statements (2015) “nurses are leaders who actively participate in assuring the responsible and appropriate use of interventions to optimize the health and well-being of those in their care. This includes acting to minimize unwarranted, unwanted, or unnecessary
To be involved in the nursing profession, you must abide by the Code of Ethics provided for nurses. Nurses must hold the good of the patient as its most important value; this is the ultimate goal in the nursing profession. They must treat each patient as an individual, care for them with respe...
The main points of provision five of the ANA code of ethics are as follows: section 5.1, which is moral self-respect, suggests that nurses must care for themselves as much as they care for their patients. Nurses must do their best to maintain professional respect to themselves in regards of their competence and moral character. Section 5.2, which is professional growth and maintenance of competence, suggests that nurses must continue to self and peer evaluate themselves throughout their careers. Nurses must continue to learn current, up to date nursing practices through self, peer, and higher education. Section 5.3, which is wholeness of character, suggests that nurses must develop and take into consideration their own moral perspectives when practicing in their careers. Nurses are encouraged to express their moral viewpoint when it is helpful to the recovery of their patients, but must never express moral beliefs based on social stigmas that could negatively affect patient outcomes.
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
There are several professional values that a nurse must possess altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justices are among these. Altruism is being concerned for the well-being and welfare of others; this includes their patients and colleagues. This is demonstrated daily through understanding cultural differences, considering the perspectives of others and mentoring others
...re else I would rather go to pursue my education. The values of Integrity, Respect, Excellence, Accountability, Creativity, and Honesty make up the ideal nurse. As an aspiring nurse, I vow to live by those values each and every day, so I can become the best nurse and person that I can be.
While I was at my last job for a Jesuit University, I was introduced to Saint Ignatius of Loyola and his Ignatian Values, who was the author of these values in the Middle Ages, and they truly capture the tenets of the nursing profession. These values are Cura Personalis, Discernment, Finding God in All Things, Jesuit Pedagogy, Magis, Service of Faith and Promotion of Social Justice, and finally Women and Men for Others/Whole Persons of Solidarity for the Real World.
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.
Professional values that are incorporated into my nursing practice include veracity, kindness, support and understanding. It is important to be honest with patients and help them set realistic goals during their recovery process. It is also important to be kind to those that are ill, as they may not have the best attitude at tim...
When an individual is admitted to the hospital, it is projected that the treatment provided by the practitioners will not cause that patient any unnecessary harm. In order to advocate for patients, the provisions outline nurses’ responsibility to continue with their education in order to provide the best care. The fifth provision states that nurses must “maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth” (Windland-Brown et al., 2015)). The ethical standpoint of beneficent is HCP doing all they can to improve the patient health issue and prevent
My core values and beliefs are honesty, caring, family, and lifelong learning, which I use every day in my life. The core of nursing is caring, knowledge, and integrity that focuses on the patient’s needs, healing, safety, and encouragement. Personal and professional beliefs overlap the driving force of nursing. The qualities of a good nurse are not or cannot be turned off and on, and are part of the person I am. We are just helping hands that are always striving to help others. I am not perfect. I am a human being and sometimes mistakes will be made, but I always try my best. If something goes wrong, I will examine the situation, and learn from it to make me a better nurse than I was before. I will monitor and reflect on my own actions to ensure that I am staying true to what I believe are the best nursing practices. When we find conflicts between our personal beliefs and those of the patient, we should uphold our personal and professional ethical standards. We should find someone to guide us through our conflict to find a solution that will not compromise our own
Although a values set which includes love, honesty, goodness, kindness, self-control, and peace seem non-controversial, identifying those values with Christianity makes them controversial. It is important professionally to be sensitive to others, colleagues or patients, while not compromising one’s own values and creating distress. Recognizing that I personally and professionally provide an example of standards valuable to the nursing profession is important on this journey to advanced practice nursing. I do enjoy the time that I spend with those who believe and behave similar to me, but I also enjoy providing compassion and kindness to those who believe and behave differently, whether those differences are based on culture, religion, age, or life
The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses has five elements that pertain to the Principle of Autonomy. Each individual element applies to “respect individual persons” (Baillie, McGeehan, Garrett T, M., Garrett R. M., 2013, p.33). In Chapter 2 of the Health Care ethics: Principles and problems text, it discusses thouroghly the consent of an individual to make their own decisions regarding their health and future requests of care. As a nurse or within all heath care professions, we must treat each individual patient with care, respect, and to remain mindful to the patient regarding any aspect of their lives. In the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses, it explains ways of maintaining the empathy required in the health field. It further discusses that the respect for human dignity must be a priority, relationships to patients must remain neutral, the severity of the situation, the right to self-rule, and the professionalism that must be upheld by the nurse and their associates.
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