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Integrity in nursing essay
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Prescribed Honesty Being honest requires courage and sacrifice. A lot of times people lie in fear of getting in trouble, to protect them and to protect other people. And other times, people simply do not follow through with what they say. In many cases, this leads to disappointment and mistrust. Having a high level of integrity is a core value of being a nurse and is one of the most important characteristics we can possess. Coming from a place of integrity means being reliable and giving a helping hand. This could mean answering a call light of a patient who is not “yours” or accommodating a request even if you do not want to. Looking back, I wish that had been the case in the terminal years of my grandfather’s life. Honesty is a value that …show more content…
There are no situations where I believe that lying; cheating, and stealing are permissible. It includes not only being honest with others, but being honest with yourself as well. An integrated self, a personal identity, and morally clean hands are all components of integrity. A person needs to be consistent with views and actions as well as be stubborn with what they are willing to do versus what crosses the line thus illustrating the virtue of fidelity.
When it comes to patient care, veracity is a critical component as well as an ethical principle that should be used in every patient interaction. Patients have a right to be able to know all of the details pertaining to their situation and have involvement in the care they receive. These patients are in vulnerable states in their lives and being upfront with compassion is undoubtedly beneficial in the long run, especially in relation to the unequal power relationship that compels unavoidable trust in the nurse. I am able to personally support this issue in relation to both of my brothers being diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1. The honest and open care provided by the nurses in both of their situations greatly helped us overcome it which in turn had a great impact on the adjustment to the new lifestyle they were going to be
The first provision of the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) “Code of Ethics” states, “ The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.” The second provision states, “The nurse’s primary commitment is the patient, whether the patient is an individual, family, group, or community” (Fowler, 2010). As nurses we need to respect the autonomy and allow for the patient to express their choices and concerns. We also need to provide them with support by giving them knowledge and understanding so they
The patient that I have chosen for this discussion is an elderly woman. Her diagnosis was a fracture of the left femur which happened as a resident in a long-term care facility. Comorbidities include Alzheimer 's disease and diabetes type II. She was described by other staff as being mean, uncooperative, difficult, and lazy; little did they know that I was a nurse at the long-term care facility and have cared for this women many times prior to this hospitalization. The staff seemed to all chime in eager to express the faults in
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.
Which is very important for nurses or any medical professional to do in the healthcare profession. Nurses are receiving these patients in their most vulnerable state, nurses are exposed and trusted with the patients’ information to further assist them on providing optimum treatment. Keeping patient’s information private goes back to not just doing what’s morally right but also it also builds that nurse – patient relationship as well. We also have provision three that specifically taps on this issue as well, as it states: “The nurse seeks to protect the health, safety, and rights of patient.” (Nurses Code of Ethics,
In the medical profession, doctors and nurses run into ethical dilemmas every day whether it be a mother who wants to abort her baby or a patient who has decided they want to stop cancer treatment. It is important for the nurse to know where they stand with their own moral code, but to make sure they are not being biased when educating the patient. Nurses are patient advocates, it is in the job description, so although the nurse may not agree with the patient on their decisions, the nurse to needs to advocate for the patient regardless.
However, it has been reported that telling a patient the truth may significantly improve their wellbeing as they approach the end of their life. One study revealed that truth telling may reduce terminal cancer patients’ uncertainty and anxiety, as indicated by lower scores on a Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale, and higher scores on a Spiritual Well-being scale (Kao et al. 2013). Furthermore, while there is no explicit principle regarding lying within the Hippocratic Oath, honesty is a virtue that is closely associated with physicians and health care providers. In fact, honesty can be closely related to respect for persons, which implies that it is necessary for the maintenance of the physician-patient relationship. Honesty about all relevant aspects of a patient’s diagnosis, prognosis and treatment are necessary to build trust, and to obtain informed consent.
Nurses everywhere face problems and challenges in practice. Most of the challenges occur due to a struggle with the use of ethical principles in patient care. Ethical principles are “basic and obvious moral truths that guide deliberation and action,” (Burkhardt, Nathaniel, 2014). Ethical principles that are used in nursing practice include autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, veracity, confidentiality, justice, and fidelity. These challenges not only affect them, but the quality of care they provide as well. According to the article, some of the most frequently occurring and most stressful ethical issues were protecting patient rights, autonomy and informed consent to treatment, staffing problems, advanced care planning, and surrogate decision making (Ulrich et. al, 2013). The ethical issue of inadequate staffing conflicts with the principle of non-maleficence.
Todays healthcare environment is demanding for nurses at a time when there is a critical shortage of staff to meet the multifaceted needs of patients. Ethical issues can occur in any healthcare situation where profound moral questions of the patient’s rights exist. Nurses everywhere have long struggled with ethical challenges in patient care, but it has become difficult for nurses in all parts of the world to practices with integrity amidst moral choices and pressures that nurses confront. According to one article in the demographics are reported no or low stress which is associated with the staffing pattern that creates the most ethical stress. About 80% felt confident that they could justify their ethical decision and nearly two third felt prepared to deal with ethical issues. About 44% nurses are frustrated and about 57.5% are overwhelmed. Nurses are constantly facing these ethical issues every day of the year. One of the reasons why it’s happens is do to facilities shortage of staffing. Those facilities that have insufficient staff it is hard to meet the ethical standard of professional practice.(Ulrich2513)
The healthcare system can be difficult for clients to navigate and they are often unsure how to access information which puts them at the mercy of others and can lead to feelings of helplessness (Erlen, 2006). Nurses can provide resources to educate patients when they becomes dependent on a health care provider and no longer feel in control of their own body which can lead to fear, hopelessness, helplessness and loss of control (Cousley et al., 2014). The change in roles individuals face can further increase their stress and feelings of powerlessness (Scanlon & Lee, 2006). According to the CNA code of ethics, nurses are responsible for protecting patients from objective risks that place them in an increased level of vulnerability (Carel, 2009). They can do this by providing the resources necessary for patients to educate themselves and be better able to cope with the health challenges they
The ethical situation in question is a culmination of intolerance, ignorance, cultural insensitivity, and failure to follow hospital protocols and procedures. The location of the facility in which the ethical dilemma took place is a small, rural hospital in the Midwest of the United States of America. A new male patient has been admitted and he is currently a practicing Muslim. The facility does not have a large Muslim population and does not have any cultural protocols in place to accommodate the Muslim religion.
During one of my rotations, I was assigned a young adult patient who had run out of insulin and had been admitted to the hospital following a Diabetes Ketoacidosis (DKA) episode. I realized that my patient was probably torn between buying insulin and buying healthy food because her chart showed several admissions in the past following the same problems. This particular patient was in her room, isolated in a corner, and she was irritable. As her student nurse, I was actively involved in her care; I was her advocate for the day. The patient lived with her single mother and worked at a fast food restaurant. Since this was my first time dealing with a patient with DKA, it became a definite challenge for me.
Their skill, knowledge, and love of their occupation help them to exceed in everything they do. Moving towards a required doctorate degree will open up many doors for nurse practitioners, as they will be seen as a more professional occupation. The role of every health care member is essential for a patient, and nurse practitioners are able to play a huge role in each case by providing assistance in diagnosing and treating patients, as well as researching different ways to help them. Having a nurse practitioner to help educate the patient’s family is so important because it allows the family to feel more involved with their loved one’s care. The way nurses and nurse practitioner’s follow the code of ethics and standards of practice give them the characteristics of honesty and loyalty, and without both of them, key parts of the patient’s care would be
As health care providers, nurses strive to instill confidence in their patients and their loved ones. A nurse is respectful to their colleagues as well as their patients. Nurses promote patients’ independence, patients can be confident in the knowledge that a nurse will do what is best for them, respecting their privacy and dignity. This means that a nurse does not share the patient information for personal reasons nor does the nurse get involved in a patients personal relationship if it is not medically relevant (NCSBN, 2011).
In a health care profession, people look up to those providing care and need to establish a trusting relationship with them. Since nurses are at the forefront of care in a hospital, it is crucial for nurses to show and have integrity in the hospital setting. As nurses, we are the person that is in constant interaction with the patient and the last line before administering or doing any care to the patient. Nurses develop integrity in many ways, through given situations and the need to stand up for what is right for the patient. The core value of integrity can be used in the clinical setting now as sophomore students and throughout our time as a nurse. The core concept of integrity is holding true to what is right for the patient and providing the most beneficial care to the patient.
In conclusion, there are numerous legal and ethical issues apparent in the nursing practice. Nurses should study and be as informed as they can with ethics and legality within their field in order to ensure no mistakes occur. Ethical issues vary based on patient’s views, religion, and environment. Nurses are influenced by these same views, but most of the time they are not the same as the patients. As a nurse we must learn to put the care of our patients and their beliefs, rights, and wishes before our own personal