Since time in memorial, several individuals have taken it upon themselves to take good care of ill patients. They have dedicated their time to ensure proper health care and have even attempted to cure certain types of sickness. Within the professional realm of nursing, quality health care must be offered by qualified professional who adhere to a certain moral standard and ethical code of practice. For this reason, nursing is considered as a morally fundamental health care profession.
The professional moral compass for every nursing practitioner is simply put as legal and ethical behaviour based on honesty, fairness and responsibility. Personally, my professional moral compass is founded on integrity, loyalty, benevolence, self-discipline, compassion, honour, hard work, accountability and service unto others.
In this paper, I seek to give a broader perspective on my personal professional moral compass as a nurse while tackling how personal, spiritual and cultural values contribute to my worldview and philosophy of nursing. In addition, I set out to address how these values and philosophies may present a conflict in my nursing obligation creating ethical dilemmas and how my personal views affect my behaviour and decision making as a nurse.
The cultural, spiritual and personal values that contribute to my philosophy and worldview of nursing encompass holism, caring, faith, honesty, wellness, compassion, transparency and responsibility. These values form the basis of my principles and influence my nursing profession on many ways, e.g. they have taught me to be interactive so as to collaborate not only with the patients but also the doctors, my colleagues at work as well as the friends and family’s of the patients that I attend to. This has developed my competence and grown my commitment for work. I have also learnt to be patient and these values have guided me to be receptive of the patient’s decisions. I, therefore, do not impose my value system upon them, but try to achieve an optimum level of wellness for them.
Within the nursing context, values mean beliefs and ideas that are of significance and are embraced by a nurse. They include trust, caring, respect and charity. On the other hand, Morals are regarded as behavioural conducts based upon the principles of right and wrong or good and bad. These are important in helping nurses make rational and unbiased decisions within their profession. Ethics refer to a thought process where individual values, benefits and consequences are balanced between guiding principles and legal measures of practice (Verana, 2003).
Throughout our daily lives, we encounter situations which force us to make difficult decisions. For this reasons, ethics, morality and personal values are a guiding factor to help ease the burden of decision-making. In this age of diminishing reimbursement, and augmented competition, I have found it a challenge to maintain ethical codes and observe my personal values while enhancing a profitable professional practice.
These sometimes present ethical dilemmas which are hard to decide as they have lasting effects. In this light, I personally complement my values, philosophies and worldviews with my conscience and spiritual values and remember my first duty in the profession is to truthfully attend to the patient. I feel that the capacity to care is what gives life its innermost significance.
As a nurse, it is important to realise that everyone is unique. We are all shaped by distinct personal experiences, knowledge, values, memories and emotions. These factors influence an individual’s basis for personal ethical philosophy. They guide behaviour and act as a source of motivation and inspiration.
In my practice, I have learnt to consider a client’s worldview and philosophy as the basis for their reality which will quite often have an effect on their health. It is thus important to have a holistic healthcare plan to be able to attend to every kind of patient despite their beliefs. This should be founded upon the basis of respect and compassion for every person’s uniqueness, irrespective of their personal attribute socioeconomic status or the nature of their health problems. Practicing fairness and equality is thus imperative (Yates, 2013).
Quite often, religion may present an ethical dilemma in serving a patient. For example, an emergency case in treating a Jehovah Witness patient who does not believe in the medical profession for health care but only believes in God for healing. In this case, the ethical dilemma may be respecting the patient’s religion and saving their lives as this is the basis of the nursing profession.
However, knowing that we all come from different backgrounds, nurses have an obligation to educate the patient and seek their understanding in the importance of administering healthcare while at the same time respecting their religious beliefs. As a nurse, one is obligated to review the ethical codes and laws available in dealing with such a dilemma and seek consultation. One can then review probable consequences and course of action then implement the decision.
In dealing with ethical dilemmas, my personal values, philosophies and worldview would have served as unwavering principles which guide my decision making. They have contributed in helping me in utilizing my sound critical thinking skills, unbiased care and evidence based practice in achieving satisfactory solutions.
Every nurse should make their patient a chief commitment in their practice and must honour every aspect of their patient’s individuality and strive to give excellent health care. They should also abide by the ethical codes and stick to their values as well as their philosophies and worldviews so long as they are morally acceptable.
References
- Verena, T. (2003). Ethics in Nursing: the caring relationship (3rd ed.). Edinburgh: Butterworth-Heinemann
- Yates. D. (2013). The Truth about Nursing. Detroit: Wayne University Press
