Ethical Considerations in Healthcare-Nursing Essay Samples

During this week’s reflective journal, my preceptor and I focused on ethical considerations in healthcare. I learned that ethics are essential values for any healthcare profession. The universal conduct rules offer the basis for determining what actions and motives are valued and act as moral principles governing how healthcare providers behave and conduct their duties. Healthcare professionals use ethics to recognize work dilemmas and make decisions and judgments based on their values while upholding the laws that govern their profession (Haddad & Geiger, 2019). I learned that nurses are mandated to uphold the Code of Ethics developed by the American Nurses Association (ANA). They must adhere to beneficence, justice, non-maleficence, and autonomy principles.

During this week’s practicum, I encountered an ethical issue after my preceptor instructed me to ambulate a patient. I introduced myself to the patient, who confirmed that he was in full general condition by responding to my questions. However, the patient refused to get out of bed upon giving my instructions. I tried to convince the patient of the importance of ambulation, but he remained reluctant. In this instance, I discovered one of my major strengths: the ability to discern ethical issues whenever they arise during my interaction with patients. Therefore, based on the principle of autonomy, the patient had a right not to ambulate, and I had to respect this choice. However, my weakness is that I become morally biased based on my vested interests, culture, and religion. For instance, I have problems with care decisions against my culture and religious beliefs. However, my preceptor guides me to overcome this weakness through critical thinking.

Health leaders have a role in influencing ethical decision-making. Through their experience, the leaders can educate young nursing talents on dealing with health dilemmas and pertinent ethical issues. Secondly, leaders act as role models that their staff can emulate to make ethical clinical judgments and decisions (Miao et al., 2020). Leaders who portray honesty, integrity, and fairness create a culture and reputation that foster ethical conduct within their organization (Ethical Considerations in Healthcare).