INTRODUCTION: Nurses base their practice upon many different foundations. One of the essentials is ethical practice. It gives importance on the use of ethical decision-making in an event of situational dilemma that may happen when performing in a healthcare environment. This essay will discuss an overview regarding ethics in general, nursing ethics and the different principles, the importance of acting ethically when working as a nurse, who will get benefit from this, and the challenges in practice. In addition, the value statements from the Code of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct provided by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia will be examined as they apply to the nurses and the community. PARAGRAPH: What is ethics? Butts and Rich (2013) point out that ethics is a branch of philosophy that studies how humans behave and interact. A systematic approach on how to understand, interpret, analyse, and distinguish matters of what is right and what is wrong as they impart in the relationships and well-being among people. According to Cranmer and Nemachena (2013) ethics is concerned in making a decision, thinking about the different issues involved. It also relates to setting a standard on what is an acceptable way to behave. Feelings and emotions that people …show more content…
According to Wilkinson and Judith (2013) one of which is that ethical problems arise frequently in practice, even if the nurse is not aware of it. Ethical knowledge is necessary to being competent in the field. Being accountable to others is a hallmark of being a professional. Also, ethical proficiency is vital to providing holistic care. Nurses deal with the person in all aspects health, providing spiritual and moral concerns. They also have a duty to be advocates for patients. To be an advocate in ethical situations, the nurse must be able to identify issues and convey the wishes of the patient (Wilkinson & Judith, 2013, pp.
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).
During week 4, we became familiar with the application of ethics in the nursing practice settings. We learned about ethical theories and principles, which are crucial when practicing in any clinical settings during ethical decision-making and while facing one or multiple ethical dilemmas. Also, we were introduced to the MORAL model used in ethical decision – making progress. The MORAL model is the easiest model to use in the everyday clinical practice, for instance at bedside nursing. This model can be applyed in any clinical settings and its acronyms assist
Ethics has been a popular topic in nursing for a long time. Nurses are expected to demonstrate ethical decision-making as well as professionalism. I believe that in order to accomplish this, they need to use the ANA Code of Ethics as framework for their decision-making. It is also imperative for nurses to have a strong understanding of ethics, because they will be faced with many difficult ethical decisions that do not always have a straightforward solution.
Nurses face many legal and ethical issues on a daily basis and they must practice according to the standards of care in order to make the best decision for the patient and themselves. According to Furlong (2007), in making ethical decisions, three resources that are valuable for nurses are (1) the ANA Code of Ethics, (2) an understanding of ethical principles, and (3) the ethics of caring. Utilizing the information set by nursing organizations allow nurses to function as advocates for patient’s and avoid any legal issues. It is important for nurses to understand how ethics, nursing, and law intertwine. The law and legal authority to practice nursing in a state is implemented by the Nurse Practice Act, this is a core aspect every nurse should be familiar with (Furlong, 2007).
This paper will focus on two BNUR leaner outcomes (University of Calgary, 2013) relevant to my learned understanding of nurses as ethical decision makers. I will outline the ways that I have seen ethics used and not used in practice, what I learned about ethics and its use in my theory courses and throughout my practicums, and I will reflect on how this understanding will translate into my professional practice moving forward.
The Code of Ethics for Nurses was created to be a guide for nurses to perform their duties in a way that is abiding with the ethical responsibilities of the nursing profession and quality in nursing care. The Code of Ethics has excellent guidelines for how nurses should behave, however; these parameters are not specific. They do not identify what is right and wrong, leaving nurses having to ultimately make that decision. Ethics in nursing involves individual interpretation based on personal morals and values. 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.
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. Nursing ethics have kept pace with the advancement of the nursing profession to include a patient-centered focus, rather than a physician-centered focus.
Barnett, Wilson J.(1986). Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing. Journal of Medical Ethics. Retrieved on 12th July 2010 from
They have found that even today, RN’s experience ethical issues. The problem at hand is that the education of ethics and human rights is not being properly taught to undergraduate or postgraduate institutions (Monaliza 1). Therefore, we as nurses to not need further teaching, we need better teaching while we are in school in order to properly carry out the ANA code of Ethics practice. If we are taught in a more thorough way of to deal with ethical issues, it will only make us as nurses that much better at our
Introduction: The lives of humans are impacted by many factors, such as culture, religion, upbringing, individual values, and beliefs. These factors have an immense role in shaping the views and decisions of healthcare professionals and patients. And differences in perspectives and opposing actions are often times, the cause of an ethical dilemma. To examine how principles of ethics apply to healthcare professionals in the duties of their profession, Sarah Stow, a nurse, was interviewed.
In order for nurses to practice ethically they must understand the meaning behind each professional value. The first value is human dignity. With each patient we encounter we must show them respect as individuals. It does not matter what the medical condition is, race, ethnicity, culture, religion or gender of the individual. The dignity of a person must be protected. As nurses we must respect the uniqueness of each individual we care for, as this is a fundamental right of all humans. A person with dignity feels a sense of self-worth and as nurses we must do our best to help our patients maintain that feeling of worthiness.
The American Nurses Association created guidelines for the profession including, a set clear rules to be followed by individuals within the profession, Code of Ethics for Nurses. Written in 1893, by Lystra Gretter, and adopted by the ANA in 1926, The Code of Ethics for Nurses details the role metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics have within the field (ANA, 2015). Moral obligation for an individual differs within professions than it does within an individual’s personal life, so the code of ethics was written to establish rules within the profession. The moral obligation to provide quality care include the fundamental principles of respect for persons, integrity, autonomy, advocacy, accountability, beneficence, and non-maleficence. The document itself contains nine provisions with subtext, all of which cannot be addressed within this paper however, core principals related to the ethical responsibilities nurses have will be
The four fundamental nursing responsibilities of promoting health, preventing illness, optimizing health and alleviating the ill are represented in the code of ethics. (Arnold & Boggs, 2016) One can say that the code of ethics are rules that a nurse needs to follow in order to effectively communicate and protect the patients. The American Nurse Association provided the code of ethics to guide nurses to ensure that patient’s care, safety, rights and health are well cared for and well managed. Models like Utilitarian, deontological, and the human rights-based all contribute in answering dilemmas that can arise with a patient. Thus, explaining what some of the code of ethics are, and how the code of ethics influence our responsibilities as a nurse will impact the overall care of the
In every nurse's career, he or she will face with legal and ethical dilemmas. One of the professional competencies for nursing states that nurses should "integrate knowledge of ethical and legal aspects of health care and professional values into nursing practice". It is important to know what types of dilemmas nurses may face
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