What Is Integrity Essay

Integrity is not a word I use on a daily basis. I tend to compensate with a synonym such as honesty. However, true integrity cannot be explained with just one word. Having integrity means you are responsible for your actions, follow the golden rule, and always do what you believe is right despite the consequences. That said, a person of integrity is not a perfect person. We try to live up to a set standard of moral or ethical values, but as individuals we are bound to make mistakes over the course of our life. How we deal with our flaws or mistakes proves to the people surrounding us if we are truly a person of integrity.

Everyone’s standards for moral or ethical values are different and arise from different aspects of one’s life. Some base

Others go by their religion, an institution, or a professional organization that has a set of principles that they follow. As children, we are taught the principles of the golden rule. “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” Seems simple enough, but in reality we know that not everyone follows this rule. Imagine how different the world would be if everyone followed the golden rule to the letter. Another quote by C.S. Lewis we constantly hear is “Do the right thing, even when no one is watching.” I still remember that day in Sunday school when we went over the concept of integrity. My teacher told us a story in order for us little ones to grasp the concept. In it, a boy and his father crept into a field during the dusk hours of the day when no one was around. The father was poor and wanted to steal some wheat from a neighbor’s field. He took his son along so the little boy could stand guard in case someone came along and caught him in the act. The little boy watched his dad creep deeper into the field, stop, and look left and then right to make sure no one was looking and then proceed to take the wheat. All of a sudden the boy runs up to his dad and says “Dad! You looked left and right, but you forgot to look up!”

Most importantly, it instills trust between the patient and the healthcare provider. Patients need the confidence that they will be treated professionally. This means that as healthcare providers we need to follow the biomedical ethical principles. These include the basic principles of autonomy, nonmaleficense, beneficence, and justice. Patients need to feel that we are treating them fairly, not causing them any harm, and are doing everything we can to make them feel better. They should never fear that their demographics will somehow affect the level of care they receive. As healthcare providers, we need to be able to convey the justification on why we do things the way we do and how it will benefit the patient. When the patient understands that we are there to advocate for them and to get them the best care they can get in order for them to return to a desired level of independence, then they are more likely to actively participate and follow through with their plan of care. We should be able to give the patient reassurance that we are licensed and trained