Comparing The Nursing Code Of Ethics And Nurse Bill Of Rights

Provision 8.1 of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics denotes that health is a universal right. The provision states, “the nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities” (Lachman, Swanson, & Windland-Brown, 2015, p. 365). From chapter 1, the ethical theory that best fits provision 8.1 is utilitarianism. The ethical theory of utilitarianism theorizes “one should act so as to do the greatest good for the greatest number” (Baillie, McGeehan, Garrett, & Garrett, 2013, p. 4). This theory promotes a universal method because it signifies that even if a decision is made and does not benefit every single person; however, benefits most

I thought your discussion post this week was great. After looking at exercise 4-4 I completely agree with you that using PRN nurses and working with float nurses is such a smart idea. Decreasing discharge teaching time like the manager wants to do on the unit is unsafe and unethical to patients. The nurses on the unit are doing their part by providing excellent patient care, but reducing education can lead to dangerous outcomes for patients in the long run. Provision 3 of the ANA Code of Ethics (ANA, 2015) states that nurses should promote, advocate, and protect the rights, health, and safety of every patient. By implementing your proposed thoughts I really do believe wait times and patient satisfaction could certainly improve. There are always

I learned that as a nurse it is my duty to always consider my own well being, along with my patient’s. I must keep a high moral character both in the workplace and in my personal life. I must continue to educate myself and keep myself up to date with all the latest nursing practices and research. I must subject myself to peer review and evaluation. I must never let my personal feelings about a patient’s lifestyle affect my care for them. When met with a tough choice that places me in an ethical crisis I must keep a good head on my shoulders and always have my patient’s best interests in mind. If I feel that a situation at work is in direct conflict with my personal values or my oath to be an ethical nurse I must go through the proper channels to work through the problem.

The history of LGBTQIA+ rights in the United States is long and complicated. The identities within the LGBTQIA+ community that are accepted have shifted over the years as the majority of the population comes to understand some identities to be commonplace and struggles to understand others. However, the gaining of rights and acceptance by the LGBTQIA+ community has nearly always been tied to legal recognition. Lawrence v. Texas questions whether or not a Texas statute that bans homosexual sodomy is constitutional. Although LGBTQIA+ rights issues are controversial, the statute that convicted John Lawrence and Tyson Garner for having private, consensual gay sex as well as the means of conviction are clearly unconstitutional on several grounds,

The nursing profession has not always been a moral and ethical profession; however Florence Nightingale achieved nursing standards and brought professionalism to nursing. Many organizations have a code of ethics to guide professional standards, policy and practice; nursing is one of those organizations. Nursing is a large, worldwide profession whose role and standard of care varies by location. This journal will examine the similarities and differences between three nursing organizations code of ethics: Canadian Nurses Associated (CAN), the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and the American Nursing Association (ANA). This journal will also review the Iowa Board of Nursing disciplinary practices and penalties.

An underlining principle that forms all nursing practice is respect for the inherent dignity, worth, unique attributes, and human rights of all individuals. (Jimenez-Lopez, Roales-Nieto, Seco, Preciado, 2016) Nurses are to always treat all patients with dignity. For example, closing doors before you start providing patient care. It’s also essential as a nurse to respect patients regardless of their background, race, culture, value system, or spiritual belief. (Jimenez-Lopez, et al., 2016)

The year is 2015 and I can’t imagine not having the freedom I do today. Marriage equality is a very recent topic in history. It wasn’t very long ago that laws prohibited the marriage of same-sex couples. I have decided to investigate the history of marriage equality and the organizations that helped make the dream come true. In order to fully understand the changes that occurred, and to comprehend the level of discrimination that was felt in the homosexual culture, one must first understand the history of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer) community. The harsh history of the LGBTQ community, and discrimination that was imposed on them and the organizations that strived to advocate for the LGBTQ community on a local, regional and national level is what eventually lead to the Supreme Court ruling on June 26th, 2015, stating that states cannot ban same-sex marriage.

Nurses are faced with making difficult decisions for theirs patients on a daily occurrence. “The STOP model helps decision makers by reminding them to consider all elements and make a best rational choice to fit the situation.” (Godfrey & Crigger, 2012, p. 35) When faced with a daunting choice a nurse can use the STOP Model to help them decipher what exactly to do without becoming overwhelmed. Looking at the case study presented to us this is how I would analyze the situation using the STOP Model:

This Code of Ethics outlines specific principles that guide nursing practices as related to their patients, their communities, and to the health care profession. Provision 8 of the ANA Code of Ethics specifically states that nurses, along with other health care professionals and their communities, must work together to advocate for the protection of human rights and promote public health while reducing disparities within the health care system. The ANA also takes the stance that health is a universal right and must be recognized in order to promote and improve health and safety for all (“ANA,” 2015). Provision 9 states that it is the nurse’s duty to promote and communicate these values to the general public and to be vigilant of unjust practices within and outside of the health care system. In essence, nurses must organize and advocate to change laws or policies that promote public health and social justice (“ANA,”

This decision has affected people’s behavior as individuals and public institutions such as family, young, elderly, disabled, LGTB and those with pre-existing conditions. For example, Kates & Ranji (2014) report that health care access and coverage for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGTB) community in the U.S. face opportunities and challenges when getting access to care. The authors report that LGBT individuals experience some discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, due to ongoing discrimination, access to health care have been limited to these people (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2014). LGBT individuals not only face discrimination when trying to receive care, but also face difficulties that limit them such as “barriers in obtaining insurance coverage, gaps in coverage, cost-related hurdles, and poor treatment by health care providers” (Kates & Ranji, 2014).

After reading the ANA code of ethics there are various aspects that can relate back to nursing informatics. However, the main sections I would like to discuss would be; provisions two, three, seven, eight and nine.

One of the many roles of the nurse, in caring for their patient, is to advocate for the patient. The nurses in the clip did not exhibit this professional role, the nurses were hesitant in following the physician’s orders, but none of the nurses spoke up on the patient’s behalf. Nurses are often in the best position to communicate with team members and the patient’s family on behalf of the patient, because in most cases, the nurse provides the most interpersonal contact with the patient.

According to the American Nursing Association, “ Nursing is the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities, and populations” (Association, Scope and Standards of Practice, 2010).

There are nine provisions included in the ANA code of ethics. The provisions can be broken into three categories. The first category is the nurse’s ethical responsibilities to her patient which is provisions one through three. Second is the nurse’s obligation to herself, provisions four through six. The third ethical requirement for nurses is related to their relationship to the nursing profession, community, nation, and world overall. This focus is summarized in provisions seven through nine [ (American Nurses Association, 2013) ].

On June 26, 2015, the White House lit up in rainbow colors to commemorate a Supreme Court decision that ruled, in Obergefell vs Hodges, that states cannot ban same sex marriage. It is no longer a state level decision, as it had been since 1993. This means that same sex marriage became legal on a national level. Many viewed this as the biggest, most important hurdle for the LGBT community to face, and for the time being they had cleared it. I found it mighty funny that the phrase “Love Wins” was coined as the moniker for the movement. Love is one thing that the LGBT community would agree is something that they are definitely not feeling on a local, state, or national level. In at least 31 out of the 50 states that “Love Won” in, there are no laws in place to protect the LGBT community from discrimination, up to and including being fired for no reason other than their sexual orientation or gender identity, in the workplace. In this paper, I will lay out the timeline of the LGBT community’s fight to put an end to both “open” and “soft” discrimination from a legal standpoint. I will explore the many reasons that it is absolutely necessary to put legislation in place to ensure the LGBT community, at least, job security.