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Reflections of Ethics, Legalities, & Advocacy Shakeylla Allen University Of Arkansas at Little Rock NURS 3350 Section 993-Summer Dr. Frances Sparti-Instructor Reflections of Ethics, Legalities, & Advocacy Ethics in the field of nursing is as important as the profession itself (Burkhardt, 2002). The American Nurses Association created a Nursing Code of Ethics to ensure uniformity (Dell, 2009). However, it is important to note that although this is the most popular code, there are others, specifically for various other countries.
This standard for nurses has been updated over the years and will continue to change with the healthcare industry (Dell, 2009). Yet, the heart of the ethical code for nurses is and will always be the health and welfare of their patient (Burkhardt, 2002). Ethics is an integral part of the foundation of nursing. Nursing has a distinguished history of concern for the welfare of the sick, injured, and vulnerable and for social justice. This concern is embodied in the provision of nursing care to individuals and the community.
Nursing encompasses the prevention of illness, the alleviation of suffering, and the protection, promotion, and restoration of health in the care of individuals, families, groups, and communities (Burkhardt, 2002). Individuals who became nurses are expected not only to adhere to the ideals and moral norms of the profession, but also to embrace them as a part of what it means to be a nurse. The Code of Ethics for Nurses developed by the American Nurses Association (ANA) makes explicit the primary goals, values, and obligations of the profession (Dell, 2009).
Nursing is for the brave hearts – those driven beyond time and quantity to deliver medical attention to the sick and dying. However, over the past decades the monetary gains, percentage of nurses addicted to drugs, and the associated freebies have almost corrupted the practice (Dell, 2009). There is hardly any reference to the selflessness of Florence Nightingale or the efforts of those who served during difficult times in human history. And yet, at the same time, ‘there is a community within the global community of nurses, who extol a vision and the right ethics’ (Dell, 2009).
It is very difficult to narrow down to the dos and don’ts of the nursing code of ethics, but it is very important to understand the implications involved. One cannot fully understand those implications without taking a course in ethics. The contemporary nursing practice is versatile and spreads across a spectrum of duties and responsibilities. Most of the responsibilities of nurses and professional nursing ethics are not spelled on paper because he or she is expected to emulate the best under any circumstance.
There are many nursing medical ethics and values specified by nursing schools and professional organizations that could be enumerated , but more important is the realization and understanding that nursing goes beyond the administering of alternative medicines or holistic medicines or even the mainstream prescribed list when the doctor is not around (Horton, 2007). The vocation should ideally be the calling of those who understand the evolution of nursing ethics and feel intensely about social service.
Without a knowledge base of moral reasoning and ethical theory an individual nurse may feel unsure about whose interests are most important in deciding an issue and public interest may not be served. Health professions education remains largely segregated by profession (University of Washington, 1998). Nurses that work on medical-surgical units have few opportunities to learn about or with nurses that work in critical care, pediatrics, labor and delivery, or other professions.
Learning to understand the roles and responsibilities of other nursing units, as well as the viewpoint of other nurses, is necessary to function effectively on a team. This course forced me to do just that by participating in discussion forums with nurses from different facilities and units. Ethics is very important in nursing because it ensures success and safety in the field. This course put a greater emphasis on caring rather than curing. It also stressed the importance of patient confidentiality, patient autonomy, and beneficence, among others.
The philosophy, ethics, morality, and objective truth behind the designing of this very important profession are more the values displayed by flourishing persons (Horton, 2007). A nurse is expected to deliver patient care with respect and attend to life and death situations in the most caring and professional manner. A nonchalant approach to medical ethics does not belong in the community. Ethics in the nursing profession involves a number of considerations that arise out of the need to be able to put total strangers at ease, whether the vocation comes out of a nursing degree online or through full time articipation. The ethics need to be lived rather than read and developed forcefully. Nursing is a profession that is not one opted for ‘by chance’; instead it is a calling ‘by choice’. A well-defined ethical framework can assist the nurse in a relationship with the patient (Ethics and Humanities Link, 1996). Nurses must maintain a philosophy of care that includes ethical and moral principles as well as caring behaviors. Ethical frameworks help the nurse reconcile legal and ethical demands with care and compassion for the patient (Ethics and Humanities, 1996). References Dell, T.
M. (2009). The economic value of professional nursing. Medical Care, 47(1), 97-104. Horton, K. (2007). The value of nursing: A literature review. Nursing Ethics, 14(6), 716-740. Burkhardt, M. (2002). Ethics & issues in contemporary nursing (2nd ed. ) New York: Delmar. University of Washington. (1998). University of Washington School of Medicine. Retrieved from Ethics in Medicine Web site: http://depts. washington. edu/bioethx/ Ethics and Humanities Links. (1996). The Program in Society and Medicine. Retrieved from Ethics and Humanities Links Web site: http://www. med. umich. ed