StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Values and Ethics in Nursing - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The author of the current paper "Values and Ethics in Nursing" argues in a well-organized manner that we are shaped by individual experiences, emotions, and knowledge all of which impact our perceptions, reasoning, and judgment of situations and people…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.1% of users find it useful
Values and Ethics in Nursing
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Values and Ethics in Nursing"

A collection of these factors form the basis for a personal ethical philosophy and worldview. Values also play a key function in shaping and influencing the behavior and decision-making among professionals. In nursing practice, personal, spiritual, and cultural values contribute to the philosophy and worldview of nursing.

The personal, cultural, and spiritual values that have contributed to my philosophy and worldview of nursing revolve around my experiences, family background, and the society I grew up in. I was born and raised in the US and right from an early age, it was drilled into me that I should give my all in everything I laid my hands on. My parents also insisted on the same and this noble value became my inspiration, motivation, and source of my nursing philosophy; that is, to uphold a high professional integrity and an ethically competent nursing practice. As a nurse, I have made it
a point in my daily practice to give my best when caring for patients and their families.

The personal values that have shaped my philosophy and worldview of nursing are responsibility and integrity. I have learned to take personal responsibility for everything I do and say and take the blame, however hard it is. Taking responsibility has helped me maintain the hard work mindset inbuilt in me and has motivated me to be consistent with my actions and principles. From my cultural background, I have learned that honesty and humility are important stepping-stones to success and I have learned to be humble and honest to my patients to the most practicable extent. This has helped me attain a good professional relationship as it encourages them to open up and cooperate.

As a Christian, I hold high regard for respect for all people and in every situation. In my nursing profession, I always ensure that I act respectfully towards my patients and their families to show them that they matter greatly and that they are not just other patients or customers of healthcare. Apart from these, the value of doing unto others as I would love them to do for me has also been of great importance in shaping my philosophy and worldview of nursing. As a nurse, I always give my patients the same quality of care I would love to be given if I were in the same situation as them. All these values act as the motivators and drivers behind my efforts to attain my nursing philosophy.  Just as outlined by Scanlon and Glover (1995), these values have served as my guide for developing ethically competent nursing practice.

In nursing practice, values refer to enduring beliefs held by nurses regarding the worth of their patients, professional ideas, and practice whereas morals refer to the rightful way of conduct that is expected of nurses as they interact with their patients and their families. Ethics on the other hand refers to the moral principles/values governing personal conduct that is important to the practice of professional nursing (www.scribd.com, 2010). As a nurse, my personal values, philosophy, and worldview may conflict with my obligation to practice whenever this obligation is guided by a principle that conflicts with my values, philosophy, and worldview and requires that I act contrary to or compromise them. The result of this is an ethical dilemma.

Some of the important morals that one is likely to face in the nursing field are respecting the autonomy of patients, obtaining informed consent before medical procedures, causing them the least or no harm, and seeking to attain more good for the patient. Some of the expected moral dilemmas include the need to act without or contrary to the patient’s will to save their life. My personal views affect my behavior and decision-making by guiding me on the best action for a particular situation. An example of an ethical dilemma I once encountered was dealing with a patient that had refused treatments. The principles of beneficence and autonomy conflicted. From my personal view, respecting the patient's autonomy would deny me the chance to fulfill my obligation of doing good for the patient and ensuring the least harm. I, therefore, went against their will and ordered that they be detained until they completed the medications.

Conclusion

The nursing practice is not just a vocation like any other professional practice but a call to care for people with honesty, humility, and respect while giving them the best for the benefit of their health and lives, and that of their families. It is therefore the noble duty of all nurses to be responsible, hard-working, honest, and respectful when the lives of other people are in their hands. This is important because the philosophies, worldviews, and, values held by nurses influence their attitude, behavior, and decision-making and this impacts directly on the patients and their families.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Personal Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words”, n.d.)
Personal Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/nursing/1440826-personal-ethics
(Personal Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words)
Personal Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words. https://studentshare.org/nursing/1440826-personal-ethics.
“Personal Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/nursing/1440826-personal-ethics.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Values and Ethics in Nursing

The Need for Upholding the Ethical Values of Nursing

This has become the prime importance in nursing ethics.... (“Health-Care Issues in nursing”, 1999) There is ethical confrontation that the nurse has to go through in the day to day life.... Works Cited “Health-Care Issues in nursing”, ehow.... The nursing profession wants the nurse to deliver the highest standards of honesty and ethics.... 1) Safeguard the patient's information: The confidentiality of the patient's information is the prime responsibility and the nurse has to show the ethical values and inculcate the habit of not discussing patient's information in public places and so forth....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Ethics and Values

Accordingly, the most significant ethical values considered in nursing and healthcare are wellbeing of the patient, choice of the patient, respect for another, confidentiality and privacy, keeping promises, honesty and justice (The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 2011).... Confidentiality is an imperative standard in nursing ethics; however it might be overruled in certain situations.... Ethics and Values (nursing) Introduction The relationship in between the patient and the physician is the fundamental concern of all the ethical apprehensions....
4 Pages (1000 words) Case Study

My nursing ethics as a nurse

My nursing Ethic As a Nurse Ugommah Miller Course: Instructor: Date Personal Ethics and the Scope of nursing Practice Death is inevitable but amazingly the greatness of human existence above all living creatures has propagated and has grown in the pursuit of important life discoveries.... The scope of nursing as well as medical practice has opened ideal views of life in its respect to health that is catered to all individuals regardless of gender, color and race, thus no life is to be spared (The President's Council on Bioethics, 2003; US National Library of Medicine, 2012 )....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Advanced Nursing Ethics and Values

This paper analyzes the ethical dilemma inherent in the case and how can the healthcare team resolve this through the application of ethical theories and principles in nursing.... There are four ethical theories that are widely used in nursing practice, namely utilitarianism, deontology, virtue, and egoist (Fairchild, 2010).... The ethical component of professional competence in nursing: An analysis.... Online Journal of Issues in nursing, 13(1), http://www....
9 Pages (2250 words) Research Paper

Nursing in a legal and ethical environment in Australia

Looking at the two documents, one is able to piece together some of the key ethical considerations in nursing care in South Africa as being embodied in nursing responsibilities and duties as prescribed by the law, and as prescribed and monitored by the profession association.... On the other hand, there are views on nursing ethics in South Africa that go beyond the rules and law-based ethical considerations, and go deep into the culture to fish out ingrained ethical values relating to care and compassion for the sick....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Nursing Shortage and Outsourcing Boom

Ludwick and Silva wrote a well-researched article on "Nursing around the world: Cultural values and ethical conflicts.... Nursing around the world: Cultural values and ethical conflicts.... The paper "nursing Shortage and Outsourcing Boom" states that several countries in the United States, UK, Europe, and the Middle East have been regularly recruiting foreign-educated nurses in large numbers to meet the domestic gaps in the availability of registered nurses....
5 Pages (1250 words) Essay

Professional Values Ethics and Law for Child Nursing

Fundamental Aspects Of Legal, Ethical And Professional Issues in nursing.... This essay "Professional Values Ethics and Law for Child Nursing" is about to outline the distinctive dilemma in upholding ethics when considering professional values and common law by nurses during child care.... To assess the dangers and benefits of adhering to professional values and laws.... Professional Values, Ethics and Law for Child Nursing Introduction The research objective is to outline the distinctive dilemma in upholding ethics when considering professional values and common law by nurses during child care....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

The Issue of Paternalism in Nursing

This report "The Issue of Paternalism in nursing" defines and discusses the issue of paternalism in nursing.... The Issue of Paternalism in nursing ... The value of holism in nursing care is assessed through the application of professionalism, the actual provision of nursing care and advocacy (Volp, Re-claiming holism, 2007.... All these factors have to be taken into account, whilst appraising the value of holism in nursing practice....
8 Pages (2000 words) Report
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us