Nurses should be allowed to refuse care based on conscientious objection
Imagine, throughout the course of your life you have been raised to believe in certain things, you have learned the values in which you instill and uphold yourself to and have set appropriate moral standards to which you base your decisions upon. Now imagine this, one day you are placed in a situation in your line of work in which you are expected to do something that goes against all of your values and beliefs. Is this fair to you? Is it okay for someone to tell you what you should and should not have to do? No. This is one of the many reasons as to why nurses should be allowed to remove themselves from situations where they conscientiously object. Nurses should be allowed …show more content…
As explained in the CNO ethics guidelines, "Not all nurses experience the same situation in the same way, and a situation that causes conflict, uncertainty or distress for some nurses may be straightforward for others" (2009, p. 4). This demonstrates that morals and reasons why we may choose to conscientiously objection are completely subjective to the individual. Due to individualities, is it fair to group everyone together and place us in situations in which we must perform a task that may compromise our beliefs in order to remain in the profession on nursing? No. It has been proven in a study conducted by Corley that 15% of nurses did in fact resign due to moral distress (Corley, Elswick, Gorman & Clor, 2001). It is explained that "When individuals act contrary to these deeply held convictions, the link between principles and actions is severed"(Lachman, 2014). When this disconnect occurs it can cause a sense of uncertainty in the nurse providing care. In nursing, we often tend to see these conflicts arise when discussing highly controversial topics such as; abortion, doctor assisted death, and so forth. What we really have to ask ourselves is: why should we inflict moral distress on an individual with strong beliefs when there may be another nurse who would find no moral discomfort in performing said tasks. Ensuring that a nurse feel …show more content…
One of the most important duties as a nurse as outlined and explained by the CNO is that "the goal of professional practice is to obtain the best possible outcome for clients, with no unnecessary exposure to risk of harm” (2002, p.3). How are we as nurses supposed to provide the utmost exceptional care when we are put in a position that compromises our values and allows us to be vulnerable? It is stated by the College of registered nurses of British Columbia that "Nurses may withdraw from care provision or refuse to provide care if they believe that providing care would place them or their clients at an unacceptable level of risk" (2012, p. 20). It is important to ensure that procedures are in place in order to validate the reason for objection, therefore the CN of BC requires nurses to consider three specific factors when making these decisions. They consider the specifics of the situation, the obligations they have both legally and professionally and their contractual obligations (“duty to provide care, 2012). By working through this decision-making process we are providing guidance and regulation to establish the validity of these exceptions and ultimately ensuring the patient's safety and quality of
Imagine, throughout the course of your life you have been raised to believe in certain things, you have learned the values in which you instill and uphold yourself to and have set appropriate moral standards to which you base your decisions upon. Now imagine this, one day you are placed in a situation in your line of work in which you are expected to do something that goes against all of your values and beliefs. Is this fair to you? Is it okay for someone to tell you what you should and should not have to do? No. This is one of the many reasons as to why nurses should be allowed to remove themselves from situations where they conscientiously object. Nurses should be allowed …show more content…
As explained in the CNO ethics guidelines, "Not all nurses experience the same situation in the same way, and a situation that causes conflict, uncertainty or distress for some nurses may be straightforward for others" (2009, p. 4). This demonstrates that morals and reasons why we may choose to conscientiously objection are completely subjective to the individual. Due to individualities, is it fair to group everyone together and place us in situations in which we must perform a task that may compromise our beliefs in order to remain in the profession on nursing? No. It has been proven in a study conducted by Corley that 15% of nurses did in fact resign due to moral distress (Corley, Elswick, Gorman & Clor, 2001). It is explained that "When individuals act contrary to these deeply held convictions, the link between principles and actions is severed"(Lachman, 2014). When this disconnect occurs it can cause a sense of uncertainty in the nurse providing care. In nursing, we often tend to see these conflicts arise when discussing highly controversial topics such as; abortion, doctor assisted death, and so forth. What we really have to ask ourselves is: why should we inflict moral distress on an individual with strong beliefs when there may be another nurse who would find no moral discomfort in performing said tasks. Ensuring that a nurse feel …show more content…
One of the most important duties as a nurse as outlined and explained by the CNO is that "the goal of professional practice is to obtain the best possible outcome for clients, with no unnecessary exposure to risk of harm” (2002, p.3). How are we as nurses supposed to provide the utmost exceptional care when we are put in a position that compromises our values and allows us to be vulnerable? It is stated by the College of registered nurses of British Columbia that "Nurses may withdraw from care provision or refuse to provide care if they believe that providing care would place them or their clients at an unacceptable level of risk" (2012, p. 20). It is important to ensure that procedures are in place in order to validate the reason for objection, therefore the CN of BC requires nurses to consider three specific factors when making these decisions. They consider the specifics of the situation, the obligations they have both legally and professionally and their contractual obligations (“duty to provide care, 2012). By working through this decision-making process we are providing guidance and regulation to establish the validity of these exceptions and ultimately ensuring the patient's safety and quality of