Ethical Issues In Nursing

Upon first reading the article Unreconciled Inconsistencies by Bekemeier and Butterfield (2005), I was initially given the impression the authors felt critically toward the structure of modern nursing. The article at times seemed to down play the importance of placing emphasis on individualized care; the authors went as far as to accuse some contemporary code of ethics which do highlight individual care as “thinking small” (Bekemeier & Butterfield, 2005). However after completing the article and taking some time to digest its subject, I have to agree with the authors’ point that nursing has lost a portion of its drive toward social justice (Bekemeier & Butterfield, 2005).

It must be taken into account that an updated version of the code of ethics was released by the American Nurses Association (ANA) after the debut of this article, however it still seems that

145). The theory of human liberation describes attitudes of the oppressed and privileged that tend to keep certain people in a state of disadvantage (Chinn, 2015, p. 145). For the oppressed to rise up above their circumstances and to become liberated, it is required for the disadvantaged to be aware of their situation and then be conscious of untried and needed action in response to their situation (Chinn, 2015, p. 146). In unbiasedly serving all types of people, nurses are in a position to notice social plights of the disadvantaged and speak out against them; an example of this might be a nurse bringing public attention to situations such as unequal care given to uninsured patients. Furthermore knowledge and experience gained through education allows nurses to formulate plans of action to foster change. Due to the wonderful potential nurses have to advocate for social justice, I believe more attention should be awarded to this facet of