Morally Advocating in Nursing; Legal, Ethical, and Moral Obligations of the Professional Nurse Nurses routinely find themselves in moral and ethical predicaments. The moral convictions of a nurse may be tested when the family revokes the dying wishes of a patient, or a preterm neonate is denied resuscitation efforts due to organizational policy. The purpose of this paper is to identify the role of the nurse as a moral agent, incorporate skills and values inherent to ethical reasoning, and further identify how the sacred values of nursing potentiate the moral courage of nurses.
Being a Moral Agent
A 54-year old Caucasian American female was an unrestrained driver of a small-sized SUV that left the road, hit an embankment, flipped over and landed in a pond. The patient’s head was not submerged in water, and she did receive severe facial and head trauma from the crash. There was bleeding noted from her nose, mouth, and both ears. The patient was unconscious at the scene, intubated on scene, and air lifted to the closest facility. On arrival, the patient’s Glascow Coma Score (GCS) was 3. After documenting a patient’s GCS in the trauma …show more content…
Learned skills are that of experience, communication, knowledge and competence. A skill and/or disposition of nursing is that of moral courage. LaSala and Bjarnason (2010) defined moral courage as a necessary virtue that propels one to act based on their personal moral principles, moral reasoning, and moral conviction. Moral courage is acting in the best interest of the patient despite potential ramifications. Moral reasoning, as portrayed by LaSala and Bjarnason (2010), pertains to being knowledgeable of one’s ethical culture, and deciphering the right course of action based on one’s own moral values and principles. ANA (2016) articulated that nursing virtues, such as wisdom, honesty, and courage, predisposes one to meet their moral
Being a Moral Agent
A 54-year old Caucasian American female was an unrestrained driver of a small-sized SUV that left the road, hit an embankment, flipped over and landed in a pond. The patient’s head was not submerged in water, and she did receive severe facial and head trauma from the crash. There was bleeding noted from her nose, mouth, and both ears. The patient was unconscious at the scene, intubated on scene, and air lifted to the closest facility. On arrival, the patient’s Glascow Coma Score (GCS) was 3. After documenting a patient’s GCS in the trauma …show more content…
Learned skills are that of experience, communication, knowledge and competence. A skill and/or disposition of nursing is that of moral courage. LaSala and Bjarnason (2010) defined moral courage as a necessary virtue that propels one to act based on their personal moral principles, moral reasoning, and moral conviction. Moral courage is acting in the best interest of the patient despite potential ramifications. Moral reasoning, as portrayed by LaSala and Bjarnason (2010), pertains to being knowledgeable of one’s ethical culture, and deciphering the right course of action based on one’s own moral values and principles. ANA (2016) articulated that nursing virtues, such as wisdom, honesty, and courage, predisposes one to meet their moral