Personal Cultures: Nursing Professional Moral Compass - Essay Example

Professional Moral Compass Professional Moral Compass Every individual has an opinion on how to behave in different situations. The behavior is guided by personal beliefs or an ethical code. A personal moral compass is a tool that evaluates the inner being of a person as far as ethics is concerned (Lackman, 2009). The personal compass considers the personal values, spiritual and cultural issues. These aspects influence the nursing profession. The application of ethical or moral reasoning depends on individual consideration of ethics. My passion for nursing is banked on the ability to care for patients regardless of the situation. In this regard, I utilize the utilitarianism concept. The framework states that I should take the interest of the patients first. In addition, the most framework asserts that the most ethical decisions are the ones that have maximum benefit to the patients. Thus, where professional ethics is a hindrance to effective care, personal ethics should be used. I was raised in a compassionate community where the life and wellbeing of everybody matters. As a result, I have respect for human health and life. I believe that humans should not suffer when I can give a hand. The culture is deeply embedded in me, and I use it to assist patients to the best of my ability in the nursing field. In addition, personal issues have influenced my ethical behavior. I have witnessed the suffering of friends and relatives as a result of neglect or medical errors. As such I endeavor to consider every aspect of treatment. I am a spiritual person and have been brought up as a Christian. Christianity advocates for compassion to all people. In my position, I am privileged with the power to influence the health outcomes of patients. The religion constantly reminds me that the lives of patients are bestowed upon me, and thus I should play and active role in protecting them. The religious views play an important role when I am faced with ethical dilemmas. The teachings of compassion indicate that human life is precious and should not be influenced by humans. The religion has shaped my ethics in other aspects such as futile treatment and euthanasia. I am bound by spiritual reasoning to ensure that the patients receive due care in both primary and secondary care. As such, it is unethical to take away a life deliberately no matter the circumstance. The belief advises me to stay away from decisions to terminate the life of an individual voluntarily. In this regard, my ethics dictates that I should ensure that patients receive the required care until recovery or death. Successful nursing career is bound by values, morals and ethics. Values are beliefs and concepts that are used to differentiate between right and wrong (Butts & Rich, 2013). Values enable an individual make sound decisions in any situation. In essence, values pose as fundamental beliefs upon which decisions are made. In my practice, values are necessary to tackle challenging situations that have other alternative solutions. As such, values enable me make the right choice; for example, not neglecting a patient in case of futile treatment. Morals and values are closely related. Morals are values that are backed by spiritual or cultural systems. Morals demand that a person acts according to a set code of conduct in any situation. In nursing, for example, my morals demand that I take care of patients with utmost dedication and respect human life. As such, my professional code of conduct marries the morality issue. In cases where making the right decisions is tough, morality prevails. Ethics is more concerned with how people act under different circumstances in their profession. Ethical behavior is closely tied to morals and values. A person is deemed to act ethically if the action reflect the values and morals of the person (Butts & Rich, 2013). In essence, ethics should match morality and values. In a nursing setting, I am faced with ethical issues that require critical reasoning and application of ethical actions. However, there are cases where my personal ethics does not match the professional ethics. The above discussions show that values, morals, and ethics are closely related and affect the overall reaction of persons in given situation. However, personal morals, values, and ethics do not apply in all nursing situation. There are situations where I find myself in a dilemma of whether to use professional ethics or personal ethics. There are instances of professional ethics that totally or partially contradict personal ethics. For example, medical practitioners and families may decide to withdraw life support machine in case of unresponsive treatment. To me, this would be unethical; however, professional ethics may allow it in certain circumstances. In such situations, I find myself cornered on whether to follow personal ethics or professional ethics. Nurses have nursing guidelines that govern the process, conduct and relationships (American Nurses Association, n.d.). Each nurse is sworn to abide by these guidelines. The guidelines provide action plans that nurses should follow in specific situations. However, medical conditions are dynamic, and there may arise new challenges in daily practice. However, I find nursing ethics not applicable in all situations considering the opinions of nurses. Several situations may arise where a nurse ethical beliefs contradict the professional ethics. One of the ethical dilemmas I can face in medical practice is on the issue of disclosure. Professional ethics demands that I tell the patient vividly about his or her condition. However, telling the patient the truth may hinder the recovery process. In such a case, I would offer few details or desist from disclosing detrimental information. The actions would break the professional ethics in favor of personal morals. The above discussion shows that nurses must understand their personal and professional ethics applicable to their career. As a nurse, I believe that nursing ethics and personal ethics can coexist in most cases. However, several cases, especially which infringe on religious and cultural beliefs, often result into a dilemma. It is upon the nurse to choose the ethical guideline to follow in specific situations. However, personal beliefs are not recognized by the American Nurses Association (ANA), and thus nurses must take responsibility for their actions. References American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Code of Ethics for Nurses. Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://www.nursingworld.org/codeofethics Butts, J. B., & Rich, K. L. (2013). Nursing ethics: Across the curriculum and into practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Lachman, V. D. (2009). Ethical challenges in health care: Developing your moral compass. New York: Springer Pub. Read More