Ethical decision-making for a healthcare provider means weighing the relative right and wrong approach while considering moral values, professional norms, and patient-centered implications. The concepts of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and fairness represent fundamental ethical principles. Decisions are made with patients’ potential risks in mind and society at the forefront in such a way that will benefit patients, directing the decision-making based on ethical norms. Maintaining a balance between these factors guarantees moral and caring healthcare that aligns with society’s norms and professional principles. (Holland, 2022).
Determining ethical boundaries as a nurse involves a complex process that incorporates moral values, industry norms, and a thorough comprehension of patients’ needs. Ethical principles such as benevolence, which also means doing good; non-maleficence, meaning no harm; autonomy; respect for patients’ rights; justice; and fairness and equity in treatment are fundamental pillars upon which one can build an ethical compass in a complicated ethical journey. As for this, it is weighing such things as the risk-to-benefit ratio of the interventions and their impact on the patients and the healthcare system (Butts & Rich, 2022). Ensuring that the moral choice is aligned with the core values of nursing care requires putting the welfare of patients first and ensuring you abide by ethical regulations.
During my nursing school years, I started on a path to comprehend better ethical ideals and principles, which have continued to develop throughout my professional experiences. The courses in nursing programs will likely give you an appropriate answer by giving diverse examples, presenting ethical issues, and critically analyzing situations. However, my study has improved my ability to think critically and reason about ethics, so I am now better equipped to deal with challenging ethical situations in the healthcare sector. Concerning my moral views, the practice also taught me a lot by receiving mentorship from competent nurses and, at the same time, being in clinical settings where I could directly encounter some ethical issues (Monroe, 2019). I have demonstrated my skills in relating theoretical concepts to current nursing procedures in patient care settings that imply ethical integrity in nursing practice.
Interdisciplinary settings bring together professionals from diverse cultures and people with different value systems. Determining what to emphasize so that people are ready for empathetic discussion, realistically honest talks, and mutual interest in a patient-centered approach to care will help you succeed when dealing with critical situations. In the health sector, providing comprehensive patient care can be achieved by fostering teamwork that highlights equal respect for different perspectives among healthcare providers (Butts & Rich, 2022). Aside from that goal, this approach also enhances the work team environment based on compassion and friendship and inspires people to contribute innovative thoughts towards the collective goals.
Caring for patients whose beliefs differ from mine calls for patient-centered care, cultural competence, and compassion. The desire to deal with trust, enhance patient-doctor relationships, and respect patients’ autonomy is enabled by accepting patients’ cultural, religious, and individual views. Caregivers can involve their patients in decision-making processes and ensure treatment is tailored to their particular needs and beliefs by having open discussions, paying active attention to their concerns, and including their characteristics in care plans (Butts & Rich, 2022).
There is a certain extent of correlation between the personal and professional ethics codes if one examines them. The nursing code exposes some values implied in the nurses’ code, such as patients’ autonomy and advocating for them. In addition, nurses are committed to providing safe care, being empathetic, and treating each individual uniquely (Holland, 2022). Such beliefs align with my ethical worldview, making both personal and professional worlds cohesive by reminding me of the similarity of concerns related to science and society.
In conclusion, examining and evaluating our values commits us to the challenging process of deliberating on ethical dilemmas in nursing. Healthcare workers use the code of ethics as a guide to staying in the line of duty. This makes it possible for them to always put forth a superior standard of patient care based on safety, autonomy, and compassion, eventually leading to the best possible health for the patients.
Butts, J. B., & Rich, K. L. (2022). Nursing ethics: Across the curriculum and into practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Holland, S. (2022). Public health ethics. John Wiley & Sons.
Monroe, H. A. (2019). Nurses’ professional values: Influences of experience and ethics education. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(9-10), 2009-2019.