Republic of the Philippines

BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

ARASOF-NASUGBU
College of Nursing and Allied Health Sciences
Nasugbu, Batangas
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Virtues, Vices, and Habits of a Healthcare Provider

A Narrative Report
In
Nursing Ethics (NCM 108)

Prepared by:
Dimayuga, Patricia Marie
Dumaguin, Isabel
Encina, Mariah Alexis
Espiritu, Gizzi
Fontamillas, Graciel Mers
Villania, Jessa Lee

To be passed to:
Kareen C. Aclan

March 2022
 Virtues, Vices, and Habits of a Healthcare Provider

OBJECTIVES:
● Discuss the types of virtues and habits as a healthcare provider
● Explain the importance of virtues and habits as a healthcare provider
● Define the different virtues of a healthcare provider
● Describe the Four Cardinal Virtue

What is Virtue?
● Virtue is an approach that focuses on the character with the assumption that a person of
good character will tend to behave in ways that are consistent with their personality.
Aside from that, virtue for nursing is concerned with the individual nature of a nurse and
finding a way to develop characteristics that are appropriate for activities that enhance
wellbeing.

Why is Virtue important in Nursing?

● Decision-making about moral issues in healthcare demands that nurses exercise rational
control over emotions.
● Under the ANA Code of Ethics, the virtues and ethical obligations of nurses are stated
such as: caring for each person with respect, dignity, compassion, and fairness throughout
all stages of life as well as the obligation to nursing practice and beyond.
● Being virtuous is also an opportunity for nurses to affirm their commitment to their
patients and their practice.

Virtues of Healthcare Provider

1. Fidelity
- Faithfulness in the relationship of trust, faithful devotion to duty.
- In nursing, the ethical principle of fidelity means to be faithful or loyal, which
means that you keep promises to patients.
- It is demonstrated by being loyal and supportive.
- Aside from that, it also means being supportive of patient decisions, promoting
patient autonomy and the furtherance of the profession.
2. Honesty
- Truthfulness
- An essential part of behaving with decency and professional integrity
3. Integrity
- Wholeness
- Undivided
- Honest
- Important in health care records and documentation because it provides
occurrence and completeness of work
4. Humility
- Being humble
- Doing one’s best and asking for help as needed / willing to assess oneself and
one’s limitations
- The ability to acknowledge gaps in one’s knowledge, and openness to new ideas.
 5. Respect
- Listening attentively to a client’s complaints or a colleague's question / being
considerate.
- Discrimination should be avoided, should be culturally sensitive to ethnic or racial
backgrounds.
6. Compassion
- a loving-kindness
- a feeling for those who suffer / ability of the doctor to actively and deeply imagine
the suffering a patient is going through.
7. Courage
- doing what one sees as a right without undue fear or standing up against one sees
as wrong even if it means standing up alone / requiring the physician to have a
strong will to do his tasks.

Four (4) Cardinal Virtue:

1. Justice - signifies fairness which also gives one what he deserves/the equal distribution
of resources among the people that need the resources. Justice is regarded by many to be
the most important virtue and it relates to fairness and righteousness. Justice is the happy
medium between being independent and helping others. Justice is important so that
everyone in society has their fair share. It is the fundamental morality we hold as humans.
Our human justice system is built upon this idea of moral law.
2. Fortitude - is the equivalent of endurance or courage in the face of pain/the ability to
confront fear, uncertainty, and intimidation. It means that although we have tough life
situations we persevere and continue a path that will lead us and our loved ones to better
outcomes. Genuine fortitude does not entail making sacrifices or risking one’s life
arbitrarily or foolishly. However, genuine fortitude is always exercised in accord with
reason, assesses the true nature and value of things (i.e. asking whether something is
really worth sacrificing for), and involves a just cause. Fortitude strengthens the
individual’s resolve to resist temptation, overcome personal weaknesses, and make
sacrifices for what is good.
3. Temperance
● moderates desire and passion / it perfects man's ability to act well with oneself
from within oneself.

Why is temperance important in nursing?

● For the good of patients, protecting patients from undertreatment, abandonment,
and overtreatment.
4. Prudence
● is taking into consideration all possible circumstances and consequences before
acting /making the best use of resources to give the best possible quality and
quantity of care for patients.

Why is prudence important in nursing?

● Prudence enables health care providers and their patients to engage in a
deliberative process by which ethical means of treatment are proposed and
decided upon.