Ethics and Canadian Nurses Association Essay

Submitted By louielopez
Words: 874
Pages: 4
Open Document
Critical Thinking for Nurses: Reflective Journal Two
George Brown College
NURS 9184
October 14, 2014
Critical Thinking for Nurses: Reflective Journal Two What are the roles of the code of ethics for nurses, the standards of practice, and the laws in making nursing decisions? Since the inception of morality from the era of the great thinkers like Plato, Socrates, and other celebrated philosophers of the time; and presently to the highest seat occupied by a public trustee; to the office of the integrity commissioner of Ontario, Lynn Morrison; down to institutions, companies, and even to the garbage guy who would religiously pick the scattered debris of trashes in the road, ethics, with its ''all-embracing nature" according to Singer (2014), governs it all. Upon delving into various sources concerning morality and ethics, I have a first hand account that ethics is as debatable as it has ever been. Ethicists and ethical theories often provide conflicting answers to the same moral problems (Geirsson & Holmgren, 2010). This could be a viable reason as to why nurses are left to themselves when ethical dilemmas occur that even the regulatory body for nurses (where public interest is the 'only' thing that matters, in my opinion) does not offer "solutions" (College of Nurses of Ontario, Practice Standard: Ethics, 2009, p. 3). A rather stark contrast, under the premise of 'public first', or it may seem an irrefutable proof that "there are no objective or universal values" (Geirsson & Holmgren, 2010, p. 1). Consequently, we are now left with questions as to why we need ethics in our standards of practice, in legislations that influence nursing decisions, and to individual nurses' practice. According to Canadian Nurses Association (2008), the code of ethics for nurses serves as the foundation for ethical practice. This can be reflected by the College's practice standards; in example, the practice standard statement accountability, whereby nurses are solely responsible for his/her own actions and the consequences of those actions. Also, the code of ethics serves as a tool for self-evaluation. One may reflect his/her actions in a given scenario and ask himself, 'did I provide a safe, compassionate, competent and ethical care'? With regard to legislations, ethics serves as a guide to which nurses can advocate to change a law or policy that do not conform to ethical practice (CNA, 2008). The highly sensitive issue of the approval of Quebec's right-to-die legislation or the loathsome (in my opinion) "Bill 52", can be subjected to changes, if nurses would unite and lobby the governing body. However, this will again bring us back to the notion that "no universal values exist", as previously stressed out. What is considered normal for some, might be regarded as 'heinous' to many (Marino, 2010). In my three-year experience as a nurse, I have never been exposed to "real-time" nursing experience, or if I ever was, it was just a limited one. Years back, when I was a student nurse, I remember giving medication to a certain client that had already taken the drug, and I did not do anything about it, nor did I feel that there were reasons to be concerned about. It was just a generic antibiotic anyway, I thought. There was also a time when I was having my related learning experience, I had given a 'made-up' vital sign specifically blood pressure. I reasoned, " I have too many patients assigned under my care that when I finished the last one, it
Show More

Related Documents: Ethics and Canadian Nurses Association Essay

Social Roles in the Caring Profession Essay

base that nurses need when communicating. There are five components to the nurse-client relationship: trust, respect, professional intimacy, empathy and power. Regardless of the context, length of interaction and whether a nurse is the primary or secondary care provider, these components are always present. Trust is critical in the nurse-client relationship because the client is in a vulnerable position. Initially, trust in a relationship is fragile, so it’s especially important that a nurse keep promises…

Words 1077 - Pages 5

Breakdown Of The Trust In Today's Medical System

Breakdown of the Trust in Today’s Medical System and What We Can Do About It Breakdown of the Trust in Today’s Medical System and What We Can Do About It Within the last several years there has been an upswing in the number of people in the American public who are quickly losing faith in their doctors and the medical profession. This is for a number of reasons, some legitimate and some imagined, however the growing distrust is having a definite impact on the way healthcare is being…

Words 1231 - Pages 5

Essay on AutoRecovery Save Of Childhood Diabetes Type 2

& ... McCargar, 2013). Factors associated with the diagnosis are consistent with obesity, lack of exercise, and consuming foods high in sugar content and low in nutritional value, and lack of sleep (Forbes et al., 2013). The American Diabetes Association recommends measuring a child’s fasting plasma glucose FPG for those at risk for T2DM (Forbes et al., 2013). Obesity is one of the risk factors for which screening is necessary (Forbes et al., 2013). Another key area for improvement is diet at school…

Words 1153 - Pages 5

abnormal psychology notes Essay

considered abnormal when they are unexpected responses to environmental stressors There are approx 3,600 practising psychiatrist, 13000 psych and psych associate and 11000 nurses in the metal health area in Canada 2.15% respondents had consulted with a pscyh one or more times in the preceding 12 months. This is = to 515,000 ppl in the Canadian population aged 12 yrs and older Psychological services are underused Psych services are more available in urban areas than in rural THE MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONS…

Words 5197 - Pages 21

IS Stress Essay

the student, a Staff Nurse on the hospice ward, has observed a general increase in ‘stress’ levels of the ward staff. Rising levels of exhaustion and staff frustration are apparent, along with a general feeling of ‘no longer feeling valued’. The student has observed, over time, signs of apathy in colleagues’ daily behaviour. Nursing ranks highly in occupations to experience stress according to the Health and Safety Executive (2005). A postal survey to 6000 general nurses, undertaken by the Royal…

Words 5415 - Pages 22

Nursing and Pre-clinical Placement Recommendations Essay

student should understand the Canadian Nurse’s association Code of Ethics of Nursing and the College of Nurse’s of Ontario Guidelines for Ethical Behavior in Nursing. Purpose of Booklet The intention of this booklet is to give you information on skills that you might be required to perform. It is not our intention to teach the skills but to make you aware of the aspects that are unique to Osler. As per the practice guidelines of the College of Nurses, every nurse is accountable for his/her own…

Words 3646 - Pages 15

Introduction To Clinical Research

Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Industry • Drugs • Medical devices • General overview of the industry  Milestones in clinical research and human rights. • Food and Drug Administration • Heath Canada • ICH-GCP • Important Milestones in Research Ethics  Careers in Clinical Research T h e b e s t t h i n k i n g f o r y o u r f u t u r e ™ © 2012 Advanced Clinical Research, Services Inc. | All rights reserved. Objectives Update the information about the Pharmaceutical and Medical Device…

Words 3343 - Pages 14

Chapter 03 Essay

Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890), father of British and American public health • Environmental sanitation • Improved health of masses for economic reasons • Linked health/welfare policies  Lemuel Shattuck—US public health • Modeled British system • Puritan ethic influence re: Work, attitude toward poor Scientific influences  1800s: Public health change from sanitation to biological control of communicable disease  Mid-20th century: Antibiotics decreased infectious disease; more chronic disease with aging…

Words 1768 - Pages 8

Essay about Neonatal Respiratory distress syndrome reflective practice

This assignment describes my own reflective experience while caring for a sick neonate with Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) in the neonatal unit. This has enabled me to explore the meaning and significance of my clinical practice and to recognise the complexities within it. The experience raises a number of issues frequently encountered in daily nursing practice. Within this assignment, I will be discussing a particular pre term baby with RDS and critically analyse the use of nasal continuous…

Words 5057 - Pages 21

Philip Seymour Hoffman

degenerates, including the portrayal of a conceited student in Scent of a Woman (1992), a hyperactive storm-chaser in Twister (1996), a 1970s pornographic film boom operator in Boogie Nights (1997), a smug assistant in The Big Lebowski (1998), a hospice nurse in Magnolia (1999), a music critic in Almost Famous (2000), a phone-sex conman in Punch-Drunk Love (2002), and an immoral priest in Cold Mountain (2003). In 2005, Hoffman portrayed the author Truman Capote in Capote, for which he won multiple acting…

Words 6352 - Pages 26