Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia - Case Study Example

Running head: NURSING CODE OF ETHICS: AUSTRALIAN NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL (ANMC) CODE OF ETHICS FOR NURSES IN AUSTRALIA Nursing code of ethics: Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council (ANMC) Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia (Author’s name) (Institutional Affiliation) (Tutor’s name) (Date) Introduction The nursing profession is characterised with nursing ethics which entail activities and rules that must be followed by all nurses. This incorporates doctrines of medical ethics that ensure that patients access proper medical care as they deserve. In as much nurses face myriad of challenges in their nursing endeavours, they have to adhere on the set code of ethics and regulations (Tingle and Cribb 2009). This essay entails the responsibility of a nurse in relation to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia and their role in provision of proper medical care to patients. Paternalism According to Antrobus and Kitson (2009), paternalism simply relates to offering of treatment to patients without their assent may be as a result of their restricted autonomy or their decreased capacity to make own decisions in relation to the treatment offered. Studies indicate that paternalistic approaches take the toll of provision of health care to patients in almost all the health facilities in the world. Medics play the role of a father to patients by arguing that they are aware of what is of the best interests of their patients. The patient’s feelings and stance is considered too ancient to be of purpose to the health provider. Their inclination towards the services provided to them is minimal and if given by any chance, little is done to satisfy these preferences. It is as a result of this continued use of medical paternalism that emphasis on the patient’s autonomy came up. Analysts argued that patients were not well informed of their rights and contributed very little in the provision of medical care by the doctor. Basically the notion of the doctor knows best was continually applied in almost all health centers with the patient given no opportunity to make sound autonomous judgment. On the other hand, paternalistic interventions have been arguably, to be in the best interests of the patients. The medical practitioner takes the role of the father to the patient who at times is deficient in knowledge of his problem and the intervention measures or is in constant fear of the outcome of the diagnosis given. This takes us to the breach of autonomy of patient’s decision making. In our scenario of the young adult left quadriplegic with no cognitive abilities, the physician acts in a paternalistic manner based on a long-term relationship with this young adult. Value Statements According to the ANMC Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia (2008), nurses have a role to play in the provision of medical care to patients. In our instance of a quadriplegic patient, a nurse may apply the value statement one. This statement states that nurses have a right to offer quality treatment to all people. Nurses are responsible for all care they offer to patients. They should take charge of all situations they encounter on reasonable grounds. In this scenario, the nurse is justified to do what he or she feels is the best thing to this quadriplegic patient. If she feels that enrolment in rehabilitation center will make situations better for the patient it is the best option thought of at that time. This value statement ensures that nurses are aware and accountable of the decisions they make in the course of their duty. With this the nurse is at liberty to make all sound decisions that he or she feels is good for the patient. This simply means that the nurses have the consent to do all that entails to the provision of medical care to the patient. He or she is considered as a professional and having gone through training, satisfy quality health provision. If the nurse advises the quadriplegic patient and provides extra care to him or her, it means that she or he is aware of the codes and ethics of nursing and is acting within its confines and more so will be liable to anything that might occur after his or her treatment to any patient. In the light of the health consumer, value statement one depicts that nurses are responsible for securing the best medical care for their patients. If the nurse feels that the services she or he is offering is the best at that particular time, then there is no cause for alarm if paternalistic feelings for the quadriplegic patient are felt by the Nurse Unit Manager. The nurse has the power to do all that it takes to improve the situation of this patient whether viewed as paternalistic or autonomous by the other nurses or the Unit Manager. In regard to the health consumer, value statement one, nurses are allowed to ensure that they minimize risks for their patients. Barker (2009) argues that the nurse has a key role to play in the provision of health care to patient as well as outcome of the patient after the diagnosis, prescription and after- hospital activities prescribed by the medical facility. He continues to argue that the nurses should attempt to make a follow up activity for patients may be by ensuring that their appointments with the doctor are followed up. This ensures that they take care of the patient’s health to the letter. In our scenario therefore, the nurse is justified to follow up the quadriplegic patient to the rehabilitation center and even give them hope that they may get better with time. According to the ANMC Code of Ethics for Nurses in Australia (2008), nurses operate within the confines of value statement number four which states that nurses have to ensure patients access worthy nursing and laudable health provision to all patients in the medical facility. One of the major principles of this value four declaration is acceptability. All patients in the medical facility ought to be treated equally by the nurses despite their social affiliation, age, gender or physical attributes. In our setting, a nurse is left to care for a quadriplegic patient who seemingly has adverse physical disabilities. The nurse has the rightful authority to take care of this patient as much as possible just like a normal patient. It would be a grievance mistake for a nurse to discriminate a patient on the basis of his physical attribute or any other affiliation (Tingle and Cribb 2009). Any individual has the right to access treatment according to the value avowal to satisfy his or her needs regardless of anything. On the grounds of the health end user, health provision should eliminate individual attributes of the patient. This form of care has been termed as non-discriminatory health provision. The nurse is for that reason vindicated to care for this patient; a young adult patient has been left a quadriplegic as a result of an accident. The physical discrepancies of this patient should not be an excuse for the nurses who find it difficult to cope with such kind of patients on a day to day basis. It is the responsibility of the nurses to ensure that all patients are treated with utmost commitment and responsibility. Just like this patient has the hope that he may get better soon after joining the rehabilitation program, it is the responsibility of the nurse as well to make sure that he or she does all that it takes to make this patient get back to his or her normal condition with a lot of ease. It is a high time that the nurses comprehend that physical dearth though difficult to handle, is still their responsibility as nurses to treat. If they don’t give the patients what they deserve it is as useless as terming themselves as health providers (Carroll 2008). Just like the statement indicates, nurses should be harmless care contributors. Not providing enough care to this patient with quadriplegic contagion, it means that he or she is not being harmless and in any case is a harmful care provider who breaches the Nursing Code of Ethics. Consequently, the nurse makes the conditions worse for this patient reducing him to a dependent being who has to rely on others for locomotion. In short, we can argue that the nurse is not justified not to provide health care to this patient on the basis of medication for all regardless of any circumstance whether color, race, gender, disability or whichever special needs. Transformational Nursing Leadership Sofarelli and Brown (2008) argue that transformation leadership theory confines itself on the grounds of establishing a form of leadership that is instigates the ruled to a high principled echelon. This form of leadership aims to instill feelings of commitment for sound decision making for the future of an organization as well as development. According to Laurent (2010), this form of leadership should incorporate behaviors, and attributes to principals so as they have an affirmative impact on their adherents. Particularly, these leaders should ensure that there is a great connection between what they uphold- the institution’s viewpoints and values - are communicated and instilled in the employees or followers of whichever organization .In short the leaders should be the faces of the organization’s procedures and values through combined efforts to empower all the stakeholders linked to the organization with the aim of steering the institution to high levels of prosperity. This theory encompasses makeover of both the leaders and the followers. As Laurent (2010) argues, the key endeavor of this theory should be to promote change for the better in an institution through collective responsibility. In additional, the transformational theory ought to operate on the basis of mission for an institution. Mission is the blueprint of an organization’s triumph. It is therefore the responsibility of the leader to ensure that he or she stimulates the need for sensible working conditions for its employees. The relationship among the employees should not only be an interpersonal one but one driven towards performance of exemplary jobs. A leader should consequently have a worthwhile impact on the institution for its followers to put to task what he or she relays. In our scenario of a nurse portraying paternalistic attitudes, the Nurse Unit Manager may remind the nurses on the call for mission and underlying principles in the field of nursing. He may remind the nurse to be professional while dealing with the patients whether they may be disabled or subjected to whichever other conditions. What is really important to a nurse is to ensure that they make a difference in the patients they deal with. If they seem to assist only one patient extensively, this may lead to feelings of favoritism in other patients who are also in dire need for help by the same nurse. There is no great satisfaction than to make a person smile rather than being offered with monetary terms (Carroll 2008). The NUM, for that reason has to inculcate this aspect of leaving a mark in a patient, to the nurses under him if an impact has to be left in the individual’s life as well the institution. The responsibility of providing quality care is on the hands of the nurses and this has to be constantly emphasized by the Nurse Unit Manager. From the transformational theory of leadership, the transformed unit manager and nurse must recite the goal of nursing as committed to excellence and proper health provision. The Nurse Unit Manager should make this as interesting as possible to inspire the nurses work effectively. With this the nurse portraying paternalistic features is able to interpret the goals of nursing as mission oriented for all patients and not only one patient who is seemingly quadriplegic. If all this is implemented, the leader has fulfilled his goals and the organization’s. He has managed to blend the workers together with the code of ethics ultimately working towards the mission of the organization. Another component of the transformational model of leadership entails all staff should assist one another, empower all in the quest to empower each other and the main beneficiaries, the patients. The nurse who is being too paternal to the quadriplegic patient should accept positive criticism and advice from the Unit Manager who has been in the profession for a while. It is mandatory that the nurse views the manager as an instructor and not a boss or criticizer. With this, it is evident that the mission targeted is accomplished by the organization at large. This form of leadership is therefore profitable to new nurses as it amalgamates both the leaders and the followers (Barker, 2009). Essentially, this form of leadership empowers the nurses, encourage change mandatory for an entire health care package. Conclusion The nursing profession acts within the confines of codes of conduct which describes the dos and donts of nurses. This profession faces arguably, the challenge of paternalism which acts on provision of providing medical care without the consent of the patient. However as we have discussed above some analysts argue that this is the best option for ignorant patients and if nurses need to act in the best interests of the patient. Lastly focus has been shed of the transformational theory of leadership of nursing which focuses on change in the nursing profession for provision of dynamic health care.          (Word count 2187) Bibliography Antrobus, S. and Kitson, A. (2009). Nursing Leadership: Influencing and shaping health policy and nursing practice. Journal of Advanced Nursing 29, 746-753. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2008). Code of ethics for nurses in Australia. Australian Nursing and Midwifery Council: Australia. Barker, A.M. (2009). Transformational nursing leadership: A vision for the future. National League for Nursing Press: New York. Carroll, P. L. (2008). Nursing leadership and management: A practical guide. Thomson Delmar Learning: New York. Laurent, C.L. (2010). A nursing theory for nursing leadership. Journal of Nursing Management, 8, 83-87. Sofarelli, M. and Brown, R. (2008). The need for nursing leadership in uncertain times. Journal of Nursing Management, 6(4), 201-207. Tingle, J. and Cribb, A. (2009). Nursing Law and Ethics. Blackwell Science: Oxford. Read More