Describe an example of how you as a professional nurse have used ethical theories or ethical principles in a clinical practice setting
Discussion Question:
Please respond to ONE of the following prompts.
- Describe an example of how you as a professional nurse have used ethical theories or ethical principles in a clinical practice setting.
OR
- In your clinical setting, consider the many times and various ways in which you acted as a patient or family advocate. Which model did you follow in advocating for the patient: rights protection model, values-based model, or respect for persons model? Would having used a different model have changed the outcome? Were there also instances when you chose not to be an advocate for a particular patient? What circumstances or events prevented you from serving in this role?
Verified Answer
Describe an example of how you as a professional nurse have used ethical theories or ethical principles in a clinical practice setting
Nurses are critical in the healthcare sector and provide one of the most essential forms of care at all times (Guido, 2020). It is important that nurses ensure that they deliver the best available care. To help the nurses in making sane and informed decisions, different ethical theories and principles can be applied to ensure efficient implementation of the process.
Different theories can be used to offer guidelines on the different attributes of care and improve overall patient outcomes (Pozgar, 2020). Theories can also be essential in guiding the correct model of operation in terms of ethics and morality. In my nursing career, there have been times that I have used ethical theories and principles in a clinical practice setting
The patient I was attending to was depicting various mental health symptoms which required me to take initiative and ensure that their needs were met. To better help the patient, I applied the use of the bioethical principle of nursing by ensuring that I exercised beneficence and maleficence. The patient was not in the right mindset to make decisions but offered suggestions on what they wanted. During the assessment, I made use of beneficence to ensure that all the decisions and practices are in the best interest of the patient.
Maleficence was used to ensure that all the measures were taken to prevent or mitigate any form of harm that might affect the patients. All the different principles were implemented while adhering to the Jean Watson theory of caring which requires a nurse to maintain an efficient environment while at the same time improving care delivery.
References
Guido, G. W. (2020). Legal and ethical issues in nursing (7th ed.). Prentice Hall. ISBN: 9780134701233.
Pozgar, G. D. (2020). Legal and ethical issues for health professionals (5th ed.). Jones and Bartlett. ISBN: 9781284144185.
Alternative Answer
There are seven ethical principles nurses keep in mind while providing not only patient care, but in nursing education, nursing leadership, and nursing research roles. These principles include nurses holding themselves accountable, practicing autonomy, presenting as nonmaleficence, demonstrating beneficence, ensuring justice, displaying fidelity, and showing veracity (Faubion, n.d.). Faubion, (n.d.), illustrates that keeping in line with all of these ethical principles can be challenging no matter how long a nurse has been practicing as well highlights that the role a nurse takes on also changes the way nurses display ethical behaviors.
The last five years of my career, I have been in leadership positions. I demonstrate accountability in many ways. The nurses on my team trust that I am available to them throughout the day to guide and assist them in their everyday practice. I need to be approachable in order for the nurses to feel comfortable to ask for help and act as a role model as well. Recently, one of the nurses confided in me that she was very anxious about case managing a patient with a foley catheter with orders for her to complete the first change upon admission to home care services.
I had her come into the office, reviewed the supplies and the process with her, and we went out together to do the admission and catheter change. I hold myself accountable to ensure the nurses are prepared and confident to perform their role. The nurse did very well with the catheter change and did not even show she was nervous! I believe I was there more for moral support than anything else.
When it comes to practicing autonomy, I need to demonstrate this ethical principle everyday as well. I make decisions that affect both the nurses and patients. I use critical thinking skills to help problem solve and assist nurses in the field. The agency I currently work for provides shift nursing for medically complex children and the LPNs working with the patients call to discuss changes in the patient’s status and rely on me to make decisions, for instance.
The nurses will call me with patient data related to respiratory concerns, together with the information they provide I instruct them to start the patient’s sick plan or if there is a need for a more urgent response, I instruct them to send patient out to the ER.
The ethical principles of nonmaleficence and beneficence are two areas, I exhibit, as a leader to keep the nurses and patients safe as well ensure I protect both nurses and patients. I am responsible for making certain the nurses have the PPE and the safe equipment they need to do their job. In addition, when there are weather emergencies, I activate our emergency protocols and identify which patients absolutely need a nurse to visit or work a shift and which patients can be safe at home without a day or two without a nurse.
It is my responsibility to ensure nurses are proactive with patient medication prepours, reviewing the patient’s individualized emergency care plans, and calling to check in on patients. I needed to do this today, ahead of the severe weather warning and the threat of losing power on this Friday.
In my role, I need to make sure all the nurses are receiving fair treatment. This means each day I review their caseloads, acuity of the patients and the nurses daily schedule so that one nurse is not drowning while others have a lighter day. It’s my responsibility to arrange and make changes so that it is fair and just for everyone. This is an example of ensuring justice for the nurses on my team.
As far as, fidelity and veracity, I support the nurses on my team by starting out every day with a huddle to discuss their day and any challenges they may face. I can offer support and also be truthful on expectations. For instance, it is not reasonable to give the nurses false hope that they will not get an admission or have unexpected patient visits due to change in status every day. Sometimes, I can’t work out the perfect schedule, but I make every attempt possible to assist with making their work day more manageable and safer.
I know there is always room for growth and improvement with applying the seven ethical principles in my nursing practice. Each day new challenges arise and with them I am faced with an opportunity to advance my skills and my ability to practice all seven ethical principles.
Reference
Faubion, D. (n.d.). 7 main ethical principles in nursing + why they’re important. Nursingprocess.org. Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://www.nursingprocess.org/ethical-principles-in-nursing.html
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