NURSING

FOUNDATION
NURSING AS A PROFESSION ( SET 3)
 VALUES
 Freely
chosen Values underlie all moral dilemmas.
though, not all values are moral values (people
values about work, family, religion, politics, money
and relationships.
IMPORTANT: Values influence decisions and actions,
such as nurses’ ethical decision making. Beliefs or
attitudes about the worth of a person, object, idea, or
action.
Values and ethics Values and ethics are
inherent in all nursing acts.
 A value is a strong personal belief; an
ideal that a person strives to uphold.
Your values reflect cultural and social
influences, relationships and personal
needs. Vary among people and develop
and change over time.
DEFINITION
Values are enduring beliefs or attitudes
about the worth of a person, idea or
actions.
They are important because they influence
decisions and actions, including nurses
ethical decision making.
 COMPONENTS
A value set is the small group of values held by an
individual.
 A value system is an organization of values in
which each set of values are ranked along a
continuum from most important to least
important.
 value system are basic to a way of life, give
direction to life & form the basis of behaviour
 ELEMENTS
 BELIEFS: Interpretations or conclusions that
people accept a truth. They are based more on
faith than fact & may or may not be true.
 ATTITUDE: mental positions or feelings towards a
person ,object or idea. An attitude lasts
overtime ,where as a belief may last only briefly.
 TYPES
 1. Societal values : Values that are derived from society & the
individual subgroups These values are heavily influenced by a
person’s socio cultural envt; i.e. By societal traditions; by cultural,
ethnic & religious groups; & by family & peer groups.
 2. Personal values: People internalize some or all of the societal
values & perceive them as personal values. Personal values are
needed to have a sense of individuality.
 3. Professional values: Acquired during socialization into a
profession.
 Professional values.. They provide the foundation for nursing
practice & guide the nurses interaction with pts; colleagues &
public. Nurses professional values are acquired from code of
ethics, experiences, teachers & peers.
 Value clarification
Process by which people come to understand
their own values & value system.
Process of discovery & allows a person to
discover through feelings & analysis of behaviour
What choices to make ?
When alternatives are presented...
Identify whether or not these choices are
rationally made...
 CODE OF ETHICS:
 DEFINITION :
 •Ethicsrefers to the moral code of nursing & is
based on obligation to service & respect for human
life Melanie & Evelyn
 •Acode of ethics is a set of ethical principles that
are accepted by all members of a profession.
Potter & Perry
 Code of ethics is a guideline for performance &
standards & personal responsibilities.
A code of ethics is a set of ethical
principle that
A.) is shared by members of a group
B.) reflects their moral judgement
over time
 C.) serves as a standard for their
professional actions
 PURPOSES:
 Standards FOR THE BEHAVIOURS OF
NURSE& PROVIDE GENERAL GUIDELINES
FOR NURSING ACTION
 Helps TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN RIGHT&
WRONG
 Enables A CORRECT DECISION
 Protect THE RIGHTS OF INDIVIDUAL
 USES :
 Acknowledge the rightful place of individual in health
care delivery system
 Constitutes
towards empowerment of individual to
become responsible for their health & wellbeing
 Contributes to quality care
 Identifies
obligations in practice, research &
relationship
 Informthe individual, family, community & others
professionals about expectation of nurse
 FUNCTIONS :
 Toinform the public about the minimum standards of
the profession
 To
provide a sign of the profession’s commitment to the
public it serves
 Tooutline the major ethical considerations of the
profession
 To provide general guidelines for professional behaviour
 To guide the profession in self regulations
 Nursing Codes of Ethics
 Purposes:
 Inform the public about the minimum standards of the
profession and help them understand professional nursing
conduct.
 Provide a sign of the profession’s commitment to the public it
serves.
 Outline the major ethical considerations of the profession.
 Provide standards for professional behaviors.
 Remind nurses of special responsibility they assume when
caring for the sick.
 The ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses has four
principal elements that outline the standards of
ethical conduct.
 1. NURSES AND PEOPLE •
The nurse’s primary professional
responsibility is to people requiring nursing care.
In providing care, the nurse
promotes an environment in which the human
rights, values, customs and spiritual beliefs of the
individual, family and community are respected.
 The nurse ensures that the individual receives sufficient
information on which to base consent for care and related
treatment.
 The nurse holds in confidence personal information and uses
judgement in sharing this information.
 The nurse shares with society the responsibility for initiating and
supporting action to meet the health and social needs of the
public, in particular those of vulnerable populations.
 The nurse also shares responsibility to sustain and protect the
natural environment from depletion, pollution, degradation and
destruction
 2.NURSES AND PRACTICE

 The
nurse carries personal responsibility and
accountability for nursing practice, and for maintaining
competence by continual learning.
 Thenurse maintains a standard of personal health such
that the ability to provide care is not compromised.
 Thenurse uses judgement regarding individual
competence when accepting and delegating
responsibility.
 The nurse at all times maintains standards of
personal conduct which reflect well on the
profession and enhance public confidence.
 The nurse, in providing care, ensures that use of
technology and scientific advances are
compatible with the safety, dignity and rights of
people
 3. NURSES AND THE PROFESSION

 Thenurse assumes the major role in determining and

implementing acceptable standards of clinical nursing
practice, management, research and education.
 The
nurse is active in developing a core of research-
based professional knowledge.
 Thenurse, acting through the professional organization,
participates in creating and maintaining safe, equitable
social and economic working conditions in nursing
 4. NURSES AND CO-WORKERS

 The nurse sustains a co-operative relationship with

co-workers in nursing and other fields.
 The nurse takes appropriate action to safeguard
individuals, families and communities when their
health is endangered by a co-worker or any
other person.
 5. NURSES AND SOCIETY

Participate and share responsibility with

other citizens &other health professionals.
Recognize and perform the duties of
citizenship
Aware of laws and regulations which affect
the practice of medicine and nursing.
 CODE OF ETHICS American Nurses
Association
 1. The nurse provides services with respect for human dignity and the
uniqueness of the client unrestricted by considerations of social or
economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.
 2. The nurse safeguards the client’s right to privacy by judiciously
protecting information of a confidential nature.
 3. The nurse acts to safeguard the client and the public when health care
and safety are affected by the incompetent, unethical, or illegal practice
of any person.
 4. The nurse assumes responsibility and accountability for individual nursing
judgments and actions.
 5. The nurse maintains competence in nursing.
 6. The nurse exercises informed judgment and uses individual competence and
qualifications as criteria in seeking consultation, accepting responsibilities, and delegating
nursing activities to others.
 7. The nurse participates in activities that contribute to the ongoing development of the
profession’s body of knowledge.
 8. The nurse participates in the profession’s efforts to implement and improve standards of
nursing.
 9. The nurse participates in the profession’s efforts to establish and maintain conditions of
employment conducive to high-quality nursing care.
 10. The nurse participates in the profession’s effort to protect the public from
misinformation and misrepresentation and to maintain the integrity of nursing.
 11. The nurse collaborates with members of the health professions and other citizens in
promoting community and national efforts to meet the health needs of the public.