Moral leadership in nursing is about professionalism, responsibility, accountability, and competency. Nurses have an obligation to preserve their patient’s values, beliefs and dignity, to assure optimal health care, personal well- being, and promote quality of life. In all aspect of nursing, nurses are role models, healthcare providers, patient advocates and are required to meet the needs of their patients. Which can be done by communicating openly and honestly, being fair and trustworthy, being proactive, and by putting patients first. Nurses are face with ethical dilemmas on a daily basic therefore, must examine their own personal and professional values and morals in order to maintain a caring and compassionate relationship with their patients.
Abstract Planning and delegating nursing care efficiently and effectively is an essential skill for all registered nurses to develop and master. The nursing process will assist the registered nurse to effectively plan and implement nursing interventions as well as to appropriately delegate nursing interventions to co-workers. Additionally, following the professional standards for nurses will assist in safely managing a patient load. Equally important is the use of communication. Effective communication is essential to ensure patient safety and positive outcomes, as is effective communication between nurses and the multidisciplinary team.
As nurses, we have an important role as patient advocate. There is no doubt that patients need nurses’ care and support, therefore, they expect the nurses to meet their demands and protect their best interests. As one of the patient’s most trustworthy healthcare providers, nurses are expected to advocate for all patients regardless of their condition. Hence, nurses should advocate patient’s rights through the way of maintaining a safe environment, which includes the protection of confidential information. According to Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, and Lynn’s book Fundamentals of Nursing, “Nurses should respect patients’ will and be loyal to them at any time as well as carefully evaluate the competing claims of the patient’s autonomy” (Taylor p.103).
Professional Roles and Values Project !1 Professional Roles and Values Project Trisha Thorman Western Governors University Professional Roles and Values Project !2 Professional Roles and Values Project Not only is nursing calling and a passion, it is a profession. As part of a collaborative group of healthcare workers nurses must adhere to their professional role and also keep at the front of the mind the values of this role. The role of a nurse is broad and the values of a nurse are many, thus it is important to define one’s role as a nurse and to contemplate upon the multiple values of the profession. A. Functional Differences Professional nursing organizations (PNO), such as the American Nurses Association (ANA), exist to better the field of nursing by representing nurses country-wide. Nurses across the country can sign up to join the ANA in order to broaden their career by making an impact in the nursing profession.
Nurses must be of a high integrity, have self-respect, be willing to grow professionally and educationally and have a strong moral fiber. The nurse must disregard his own prejudices and advocate for their patients no matter, what race, social economic status, personal attributes, disease processes, and nature of health problem or lifestyle. It is the duty of the nurse to show compassion and care to all patients. The code of ethics is followed in every aspect of my practice and everyday life. Starting from the time I wake up to begin my day, to when I walk on to the hospital unit to begin my shift, to reporting off, and continues even after I leave the building and go home.
The ANA represents nurses and stands for their rights. The Code of Ethics has been developed and changed over time to keep up with progress in the field as well as with interpretation of the codes. It is something that explains a nurse’s obligation and duties. This Code of Ethics is a guide of conduct. This guide should be strictly observed by nurses and nursing students so they can make proper judgments and give ethical treatment to all persons under his/her care.
Jean Watson is recognized for her theories on human caring and the way nurses give care. Her theories are used to educate nurses on the integration of care and compassion within the discipline and technology of today’s healthcare organizations to better serve patients. Watson believed that human caring is “not just an emotion, concern, attitude, or benevolent desire. Caring is the moral ideal of nursing whereby the end is protection, enhancement, and preservation of human dignity” (George, 2011, p. 29). With this idea in mind, assessment tools are used by the nurse and physician to protect, enhance, and preserve human dignity (George, 2011).
The ANA code of ethics has provisions in place to assist in a decision for this case. Provision 1 protects human dignity, the right to self-determination. Provision 2 protects the patient's interests and facilitates collaboration among health care providers. Provision 3 and 4 provides standards, accountability, responsibility for nursing judgment and action. In the case of malpractice witnessed by a nurse against a fellow nurse and the facility that they worked, the code of ethics also has provisions to protect nurses as well.
There are three main qualities of professionalism these are being knowledgeable, having a code of conduct to adhere to and thirdly being able to investigate and act upon individuals that do not follow the standards set out within the code of conducts. (SHU 2009). As part of meeting the qualities of professionalism; all health and social care professionals should be registered by a regulator that has a code of conduct suited to their speciality. Such as Doctors are registered under the General Medical Council; physiotherapists under the Health Professions Council and nurses and midwifes are registered under the Nursing Midwifery Council. This is to ensure that the practitioners remain professional, protect the public and provide a high standard of practice at all times.
In both, Henderson’s Need Theory and Orem’s Self Care Theory, the ‘role of nursing’ is the core concept. Henderson considered her definition of nursing her ‘concept.’ She defined nursing as, “assisting individuals to gain independence in relation to the performance of activities contributing to health or its recovery,” according to (“Current Nursing: Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory”, 2012). Orem defined nursing as, “actions deliberately selected and performed by nurses to help individuals or groups under their care to maintain or change conditions in themselves or their environments,” (Current Nursing: “Dorothea Orem’s Self Care Theory,” 2012). For both theories, the major assumption is that the nurse will care for the patient until the patient or his or her family can care for the patient. According to the Free Dictionary (2013), a metaparadigm is, “a set of concepts and propositions that sets for the phenomena with which a discipline is concerned.” In both theories, there are metaparadigms that have developed the framework for nursing practice.