Nursing as Moral Argents

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Nursing as Moral Argents

A moral agent does things with reference to knowing what is wrong or right and can personally be held responsible for his or her actions. In the nursing profession, nurses are seen as people who care for patients in almost every aspect of life. Their main duties being to provide the best possible care a patient can receive. In their code of professional conduct and business values, they should be responsible for every action and decision they make in their line of duty (Allen, 2011). Nursing can be practiced by anybody, for example, a family member may decide to take care of another sick family member. The only difference here is that a professional nurse works with certain set codes of nursing conducts and business ethics.

It, therefore, means that, nurses must hold moral competency in their duties for the delivery of good healthcare to the patients. Competency is the ability of a person to deliver good outcomes in their duties at all times. Competency in nursing includes the possession of basic nursing skills and the technical knowledge of handling different medical equipment and the ability to read and interpret medical reports that will lead to the delivery of the desired services by the patients. Morally, competent nurses will always advocate in the best interest of their patients. Many nursing councils have adopted advocacy as an essential part of the nursing career with the main focus being on the safety of patients

Reports of past occurrence show that patients get involved in fatal incidents such as injection of wrong drugs, suffocation due to lack of enough oxygen and also prescription of wrong medication. In a bid to help nurses act more responsibly, the American Nurses Association (ANA) have developed new work standards for nurses.

Nurses on their parts, have to demonstrate high levels of competence in caring for patients. They must possess the necessary basic skills required to carry out their duties. Nurses also should have and uphold the values that their profession demands. The values range from personal, social, and professional. These are the major indicators of ethical competence in the nursing profession. Nurses do a great deal of work in terms of caring for the patients. It doesn’t only involve classwork as there is so much of practical work involved. Nursing is a field that demands much more than just classwork. They must have desire to help a suffering person. According to Allen (2011), compassion is another key component in the moral competence of a nurse. It is not just only responding to the suffering of others, but is more of an obligation in the nursing practice. Kindness and loving are other core values in the moral competency. Nurses must always feel love for the patients they care for and be kind to them at all times. As a result, strong trust will develop between the nurses and their patients, thereby aiding in the recovery process of the patients. Consequently, these two values should be included as values of moral competence that nurses must exhibit and uphold in the nursing practice.

Responsibility is a value that expresses the level of accountability by the nurses. It implies that nurses do what is right and make decisions from an informed position, for example, call for an emergency when it is necessary. Therefore, nurses need to recognize mistakes and quickly correct them so as not to compromise their moral obligations. Discipline is another key value for nurses who want to be morally competent (Basavanthappa, 2008). Being disciplined in nursing is the ability of nurses to carry themselves with dignity in discharging their duties and be able lead an organized life. With high levels of discipline maintained among nurses, they can perform much better in a social environment where they get to interact with many people of different kinds. It goes a long way in cultivating the liaison between nurses and their patients. This value, however, should come from the inside of a person and not necessarily leant or practiced. Studies have shown that nurses who uphold high standards of discipline in their jobs have goods records of successful recoveries of most patients. Honesty is another value that focuses more on the nurses to uphold the truth and avoiding deceit as well as being truthful to others. Consequently, nurses will be able to make good judgments on their actions. It also involves clearing up any misunderstandings that may arise and thereby creating a healthy working environment for both the nurses and their patients. Lastly, respect for human values is very crucial for nursing practice. Without the respect for human values, patients may feel lost and as not being part of others. Nurses meet different patients with different needs, but all these patients must be treated equally to help them feel appreciated and respected for who they are (Basavanthappa, 2008). As a result, this will aid in improving their general health and at the same time reducing the sense of feeling lonely among them.

In conclusion, nursing profession calls for more than just passing exams in the classwork. It should reflect the passion one has for helping others. Nursing practice is a field that is guided by the set work ethics, and also the ethical standards that a person aspiring to be a nurse must uphold.

ReferencesAllen, J. E. (2011). Nursing Home Administration. New York: Springer Pub.

Basavanthappa, . (2008). Community Health Nursing. S.l.: Jaypee Bros. Medical P.