Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
Ethical Decision Making in Health Care
Nursing is a noble profession as it involves care of suffering, diseased, and dying individuals. We find two different kinds of ethics in nursing: personal and professional. Both these roles are equally important playing a pivotal role in ensuring safer, healthy, and conducive environment for the patients.
In this paper, I will discuss personal philosophy of nursing ethics, the effects of personal, social, moral and spiritual values on its practice. All these factors are necessary ingredients in the development and growth of a nurse.Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
The education, upbringing, life experiences, religious and political beliefs shape up the personal ethics of a nurse. As opposed to professional work ethics, personal ethics in nursing profession may vary from person to person. For example, if a nurse does not use any of workplace resources for personal use such as telephone, office vehicle etc then this is personal ethic even though there is no official obligation on the nurse for that matter.Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
People following different personal work ethics may cause conflict at times but there are a few established notions of personal work ethics that every nurse should adopt while carrying out professional responsibilities.Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
According to Boyd, “nursing (personal) ethics must address the issues related to the academic and clinical training of nurses, their moral formation, personal growth, professional competence and their continuing education.”(Boyd, 2000) In my opinion, it is the responsibility of a nurse to have an understanding of personal and biases that may affect their work. I, as a nurse, need to nurture the ability of decision-making.
For example, it is necessary for a nurse to be able to decide whether what kind of treatment different patients require or should not be given.Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
In other words, “personal ethics may be described as the personal set of moral values which an individual (nurse) chooses to live by and which generally guide his or her approach to their moral life and relationships with others such as matters of conscience are a good example of personal morality.”(Johnstone 1999)Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
However, at times, there may prop up complexities while exercising personal work ethics. For example, the work ethics of a nurse may come into direct clash with the work ethics of a professional organization they work at. To deal with such ethical dilemma, the best way for a nurse is to seek the consensus on a disputed issue. It is advisable to seek the input of fellow nurses and concerned doctors.Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
It is always important for a nurse to appreciate the work ethics of others as it may generate a very useful and valuable resource for their patients.
Let us take an example of a nurse who is caring a patient suffering from the middle stage of cancer. The patient begins to form a sort of emotional dependence on the nurse and wants the same nurse to look after him until recovery.Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
The patient’s family is also under the impression that the presence of that particular nurse may help him recover faster. Such kind of instances may create problems for the nurse amid treatment that patient. What is the nurse supposed to do in such situation? Some nurses would impulsively refuse to look after such a patient but the nurse with intact personal work ethics would definitely consult the Ethics committee of the hospital and take the family of the patient into confidence to decide the future course of action.Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
The necessary moral virtues that a nurse must possess are generosity, compassion, good temper, fairness, commitment, communication skills, modesty and prudence. She should be practical in her approach to deal with different kinds of patients. She must show sensitivity to the pain and sufferings of others and be able empathize with the patients. More importantly a nurse should be able to draw a line between certain nursing and personal ethics. She is never expected to deny treatment to a patient whom she may dislike due to the patient’s lifestyle. For example, AIDS patients should be looked after with equal respect, dignity, and sensitivity no matter how repulsive the nurse finds it. Nursing is not about giving care selectively to patients you approve of and refusing care to other you see as less deserving. (Howlett)Ethical And Spiritual Decision Making In Healthcare Essay.
My Nursing Ethics (Resource 1)
Being a nurse, my primary aim is to ensure compassionate, safe, and ethical care to the suffering patients. I find it my responsibility to respect and inform my patients. I understand the value of dignity in this professional and will never do anything that defies my or patient’s dignity. It is my duty to understand the importance of privacy and confidentiality thereby safeguarding personal, familial and any other valuable information in professional relationship. I try to contribute my little part to the public good by upholding principles of justice, equality, and fairness. I do not allow my personal grievances, if any, to affect the treatment of my patient. I ensure that my personal biasness do not come in the way during the treatment of the patient. I am answerable to higher authorities for my actions and practice. Nursing is my passion. My compassion for humanity has motivated me to adopt nursing as my profession. The belief that I can help suffering human being recover from serious illness and at times from death through proper treatment always keeps me on the go. I believe I am a nurse because I want to serve the humanity irrespective of religion, creed, color, or country.
It is incumbent on a nurse to strictly follow the oath she takes after embarking on the nursing profession. The nurse should recommend or give a deadly drug to a patient even if he has aked for it. A woman patient should be given an abortive remedy for any kind of treatment. The oath reads, “I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work. Into whatever houses I may enter, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining clear of all voluntary injustice and of other mischief and of sexual deeds upon bodies of females and males, be they free or slave.”(The Hippocratic Oath)
Though nursing and personal work ethics of a nurse are inextricable as the individual’s personal, moral, social and religious values do contribute to the overall performance and job of a nurse yet professional nursing is based on the idea of fulfilling a role rather than taking individual initiatives. Their behavior is ascertained by the established rules that govern their role.
Nurses may also find themselves in ethical dilemma due to political-ethical conflict. Simply defined, such a conflict arises due to the conflict between one’s ethical beliefs and professional ethics but is further aggravated due to split and conflicting loyalties and negative image of politics. This conflict should be a cause for concern because it may jeopardize quality care of patients and public health. Such a conflict arises usually due to the differences between old and modern ideas of nursing, the notions of perceived weakness of women and the strength of nursing profession on the whole. Moreover, the discrepancies between the objectives of the health- care organizations and the goals of nursing profession will also result in the same.
Though nursing and personal work ethics of a nurse are inextricable as the individual’s personal, moral, social and religious values do contribute to the overall performance and job of a nurse yet professional nursing is based on the idea of fulfilling a role rather than taking individual initiatives. Their behavior is ascertained by the established rules that govern their role.
The negative portrayal of politicians and the political process deters many nurses from becoming involved in supporting the political goals of the nursing profession. Political cartoons, news stories, and editorials that cast politicians in a negative light appear daily in newspapers throughout the United States.(Jardin, 2001)
Stereotypes are embellished, and provocative radio and television shows increase the chances of adverse exposure to politics. An inherent aversion or misgivings about the leaders may also deepen such a conflict. The image of nobility and goodness is always attributed to the profession of nursing therefore nurses should not allow themselves to either be involved or influenced by politics.
Political-ethical conflicts can sometimes compel nurses to choose between their job, patient care, and personal ideals of ethics. For nurses, the individual (patient) is always more valuable than society as a whole. If nurses side with larger political or social groups at the expanse of individuals then political-ethical conflict is most likely to take place in such situation.
Nursing ethics itself provides a philosophical inquiry into the dynamics of its practice. All in all, nursing being the most noble and respected profession is not without its complexities. The personal philosophy of life, moral and social values and experiences of a nurse do contribute to the making of personal ethics—necessary in the practice of this profession too.