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When I first began my actual nursing Journey I as worried that I had possibly chosen the profession simply because it was so common in my family, and that I never even really considered any other career. Luckily for me, my first day of clinical in “Introduction to Nursing” sealed the deal. It wasn’t the environment, the schedule, or even the salary that lead me to feel confident that I had chosen the right career path for myself. Instead, it was the overwhelming sense of Joy and fulfillment that I felt when I saw how my care and compassion could help another individual during a time of need.
I like to believe that there are an array of factors and values that I have encompassed throughout my life that have played a role in forming my personal philosophy of nursing. I have always viewed myself as a kind and compassionate individual who enjoys helping others. As I have previously mentioned, my mother has been an oncology nurse for my entire life. I view her as one of, if not the main influential aspects in deciding upon my career. When I was younger I always enjoyed hearing her stories or reading her letters from patients about how helpful and caring he had been.
She always came home with a smile on her face and would say that even after the most stressful day, knowing that she was able to make a difference in someone else’s life, is what kept her going. I have used that as a fuel in my own career. I made it one of my goals when I enrolled in nursing school to always deliver compassionate and genuine care, and to set out to be as great of a nurse as my mother is. Watching my mother and other nurses that I view with high moral integrity is a definite factor in guiding my own nursing practice each and every day.
To me, the terms morals, values, and ethics all kind of blend together. Instead of viewing and defining them separately, I instead view them as an overall essence of how you live your life. In any profession, you carry your ethics with you in your work and it is displayed in small ways here and there. One of my favorite and I think most rewarding characteristics of the nursing profession is that your personal and professional ethics are essentially your entire Job. I once heard that for years, nursing has been declared one of the most trusting and respected professions.
We are trusted with life or death situations on a daily basis. We are allowed by the patients and families to play a role and be a part of some of the most personal, intimate, Joyous, and sometimes even toughest events in these complete strangers’ lives. They trust nurses and their Judgment. That is what attracts me to nursing. I believe that how you interact with these patients and how you deliver your care is your ethical code of nursing. Going above and beyond for these individuals to see to it that they are being given the opportunities for the greatest outcomes.
Along with the great responsibility and trustworthiness that comes along with the role of being a registered nurse, is the reality that we will encounter ethical dilemmas that include other individuals well being on a frequent basis. Nurses are often the ones that have the most intimate relationship with and spend the most 1:1 time with the patients. In this, we are often faced with situations in which we have to make an ethical decision for these patients. There are many rules and regulations in the health care world and being so close to these patients, we sometimes realize that the est. answer may not always be the acceptable answer.
Situations as small as sneaking in a dying patient’s favorite pet, or situations as great as those that are involved in life or death. These are scenarios in which nurses must make a decision based on their own personal ethics, morals, and values. These can be ethical dilemmas that nurses must face. In my own nursing practice, I try to base my ethics on how I would want myself or my family to be treated. I vow to treat each individual, regardless of their background or the situation, with the care and compassion they deserve.