Nursing: Class discussion.
A nurse’s duties are based on principles established centuries ago and thus are guided by a strict code of ethics. This limits the decisions available to a nurse as a health practitioner when in the line of duty and to some extent when even off duty as the Hippocratic Oath doesn’t specify that a nurse or any other medical practitioner must be in his or her line of duty so as to deliver the necessary responsibility. This has several implications on the decision options available to a nurse with regards to, or due to constraints imposed by, ethical and legal liability and accountability resulting from the Hippocratic Oath and the Florence Nightingale pledge.
A nurse is expected to educate others and enhance fostering of gaining knowledge in the area of health to both the public and the government. Besides, nurses are bound by the oath to train those that are in need of learning the profession and also help and collaborate with other medics in services delivery as well as research. This binds the nurse into a collective decision making so as to involve the others as required by the oath. Taking into account the fact that patients have the right to privacy treatment with dignity and confidentiality about their health or family matters, and then this means that a nurse can’t take either advantage of a patient or patients for personal gains or gain ground to be personal against such an individual.
Even with respect to that, however, at times the decisions made by nurses might counter the very reason for the Hippocratic Oath and the Florence Nightingale pledge. Taking into account the current trend of establishing lucrative private health care systems and facilities, supervisors of such facilities are likely to be business oriented than just providing necessary medical care to those who need it. The decisions available to a nurse though guided by a sound doctrine whose goal is to help humanity gets altered and meander from the expected. For instance the management may pressurize them to portray a positive image of such a facility even when the reality might not be as either portrayed or marketed. This contradicts the stand against false presentation or misinforming the public on matters on the ground.
References
Hill, S. S., & Howlett, H. A. (2013). Success in practical/vocational nursing: from student to leader (7th ed.). St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier.
