Nursing Values

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Nursing is one of the most complex careers an individual could pursue. To me, nursing means many things. Caring is what first comes to mind. A nurse is 100% involved in the well being of their patients, which means putting the patients’ needs ahead of everything else and doing everything possible to meet those needs. But nursing also requires critical thinking. Many people view nursing as just performing tasks like giving baths, but it is so much more than that. One could say nurses are the doctors’ eyes and ears. They are the ones who are expected to catch and document patient signs and symptoms and report them to the doctors. Being a nurse is a huge responsibility and not an easy job.
In our world today, so many jobs have resorted
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The first AACN value that coincides with one of my values is integrity. I feel as though integrity and hard work go hand in hand. The AACN Baccalaureate Essentials describes integrity as a nurse performing his or her duty in an ethical manner, is honest, and performs patient care accordingly (AACN, 2008). This is a lot like hard work because one performs tasks in the correct manner and does an honest job. The next value is human dignity. Human dignity is described as having respect for all coworkers and patients and their individuality (AACN, 2008). My values of respect and acceptance are pretty much the definition of dignity. All three of these values are put in place to ensure that patients and colleagues are treated fairly and accepted for who they are. Another value I admired on the AACN Baccalaureate Essentials list was altruism. Altruism is described as basically being concerned about the well being of others (AACN, 2008). This value is what I consider the definition of nursing. Truly caring about one’s patients and coworkers is the most important trait to have. The last two values listed are autonomy and social justice. I believe social justice goes along with the values of human dignity, respect, and acceptance. All of those values are about treating others fairly. Autonomy is described as letting patients make their own decisions about their treatments and health (AACN, 2008). This is a very important value because it is the patient’s life and it is his or her right to decide how he or she wants to live it. The five values of integrity, human dignity, altruism, social justice, and autonomy are a necessity for all nurses to practice and constantly keep in

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