THE BEHAVIOR OF NURSES IN A REAL SITUATION

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In essence, ethics in nursing involves a specific set of principles and values that  shared  and used to govern the way in which all the nurses usually interact with the patients  as well as other nurses and doctors (Hofling, et al. 1966).  For instance, here in the United States, the Code of Ethics of the American Nurses Association clearly outlines the ethical obligations of the nurses as well as providing an ethical standard that is non-negotiable. Thus in order for an appropriate and diligent nursing practice there are  always the set rules and guidelines that should be adhered to in ensuring meaningful nursing practice (Rumbold, 1999).

For instance, as a nurse faced with a  real  situation as the one indicated in our case I would not comply to the new doctor’s request  hence my stand is that it was not wise for the nurses to overwhelmingly respond the way  they did (Davis, et al. 2006). In  fact, for  a nurse working in a large hospital and not able to adhere to the rules and regulations that  stipulates  what should be done, then it means there are more patients exposed to the consequences of my unethical actions. Thus it would be necessary to always work within the rules and regulations that govern the nursing practice without been influence by somebody else  to do the contrary (Fry, et al. 2010).

Therefore it would not have been the right decision for this nurse to heed to the doctor’s request to administer a medication overdose to the patient with full knowledge that this would otherwise lead to unwanted consequences. Therefore the nurse should have stood firm on the right  decision which was to administer the 10 milligrams dose instead of the requested 20 milligrams which would be harmful to the patient. Moreover, it was also against rules and regulations of the hospital for taking medication orders over the telephone. This nurse was also aware of this but went ahead and accepted to do the opposite which was against  the hospital’s  rules and regulations (Hofling, et al. 1966). It would have been a noble thing for the nurse to stand for the right thing and not accept to go against the ethical standards that regulate his nursing profession practice.

However, irrespective of the obedience to authority it should always be right to weigh  the options and determine all possible  consequences that are likely to  arise from your actions (Davis, et al. 2006). For instance, in our case the nurse may have acted the way he or she did out of fear because the order had come from a doctor who was a bit senior in comparison. But it should also have been necessary to realize that set up rules and regulations had no exceptions and deserved  to be obeyed by everyone (Rumbold, 1999). Also the possible adverse consequences that may have accrued as a result of over dosage would not have  considered the issue of conformity to the authority but an individual’s actions.

Therefore considering the implications this action would have caused to the nurse, doctor as well as the entire hospital it would have therefore be necessary authorize neither accept to do such a thing (Hofling, et al. 1966). This is mainly because the consequences would have ranged from legal action, loss of job or damaged reputation all of which would not be appropriate. However, since the nurses are mainly involved in treating  the patients with an aim of easing suffering; this would have then be the ethical standpoint which this nurse would have considered before making such a decision. Moreover, since a nurse should always stand for the patient’s rights in the advocacy for the attainment of meaningful treatment and ensuring the safety as well as the rights of the patients are adhered to (Rumbold, 1999). However, in our case it’s the contrary due to fear of the authority the nurse accept to contradict the code of ethics that govern the nursing practice. Thus it would have been better to stand by the right decision irrespective of the consequences that might have accrued (Fry, et al. 2010).

References

Davis, A.J., Tschudin, V. and Raeve, L.D. (2006). Essentials of teaching and learning in nursing ethics. London: Elsevier.

Fry, S.T. Veatch, R.M. and Taylor, C. (2010). Case studies in nursing ethics, 4^th ed. Ontario: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Hofling, C., Brotzman, E., Dalrymple, S., Graves, N., & Pierce, C.  (1966). An experimental study in nurse-physician relations. Journal of  Nervous and Mental Disease, 143, 171€“180.

Rumbold, G. (1999). Ethics in nursing practice, 3^rd ed. London: Bailliere Tindall.

 

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