Professional Responsibilities
While working in the healthcare profession, the nurse is bound by certain ethical and legal requirements that dictate how the nurse should be conducting oneself. The nurse is guided by these requirements when caring for and relating to patients that may or may not have a different faith, ethnicity, gender, or worldview than one has. The nurse also has a professional responsibility to participate as a member of the practical nursing profession by volunteer work, instructing others, and staying current on ethical and legal requirements of the nursing profession.
Ethics and Nursing
“Ethics is the study of conduct and character” (Sommer et al., 2013, p.17). A nurse is responsible to ensure that each patient being …show more content…
The rationale for these legal requirements is to improve the quality of health care and to protect the well-being and safety of the public. By adhering to legal requirements of the practice of practical nursing, the nurse can shield oneself from liability. A nurse that does not follow the legal requirements of the practical nursing profession, could be liable of negligence, malpractice, breach of confidentiality, defamation of character, assault, battery, or false imprisonment (Sommer et al., 2013, p.17). A nurse is accountable to advocate for client’s rights, provide care for one’s patients within one’s scope of practice, discern responsibilities as part of the healthcare team, and provide safe care for patients that will be consistent with the standards of care required of the practical nursing profession. Thus, nurses should follow the standards of care of the nursing profession, give competent care, practice good communication with other health care team members, build good rapport with patients, and fully document all interventions, assessments, and evaluations of patients (Sommer et al., 2013, p.17). By implementing these guidelines, a nurse will fulfill the legal requirements of the practice of …show more content…
The nurse should continue one’s education, regardless if one is seeking a degree or not. Many states will require that a nurse completes a certain number of hours of continuing education per year so that the nurse will maintain, improve, expand, and enhance one’s knowledge (Burton & Ludwig, 2015). The nurse may stay up to date with one’s state’s published Board of Nursing meeting reports. The nurse may also choose to join a professional nursing organization, for example, the practical nurse may choose to join the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses, Inc. The nurse may choose to subscribe to nursing journals and publications, for example, the practical nurse may enjoy reading the Journal of Practical Nursing. The nurse should be a positive role model within the healthcare setting and in one’s community, and can do so by volunteering to work in understaffed hospitals serving low-income communities, volunteer at a homeless shelter, volunteer to teach high school classes, volunteer at the local nursing home, and mentor nursing
While working in the healthcare profession, the nurse is bound by certain ethical and legal requirements that dictate how the nurse should be conducting oneself. The nurse is guided by these requirements when caring for and relating to patients that may or may not have a different faith, ethnicity, gender, or worldview than one has. The nurse also has a professional responsibility to participate as a member of the practical nursing profession by volunteer work, instructing others, and staying current on ethical and legal requirements of the nursing profession.
Ethics and Nursing
“Ethics is the study of conduct and character” (Sommer et al., 2013, p.17). A nurse is responsible to ensure that each patient being …show more content…
The rationale for these legal requirements is to improve the quality of health care and to protect the well-being and safety of the public. By adhering to legal requirements of the practice of practical nursing, the nurse can shield oneself from liability. A nurse that does not follow the legal requirements of the practical nursing profession, could be liable of negligence, malpractice, breach of confidentiality, defamation of character, assault, battery, or false imprisonment (Sommer et al., 2013, p.17). A nurse is accountable to advocate for client’s rights, provide care for one’s patients within one’s scope of practice, discern responsibilities as part of the healthcare team, and provide safe care for patients that will be consistent with the standards of care required of the practical nursing profession. Thus, nurses should follow the standards of care of the nursing profession, give competent care, practice good communication with other health care team members, build good rapport with patients, and fully document all interventions, assessments, and evaluations of patients (Sommer et al., 2013, p.17). By implementing these guidelines, a nurse will fulfill the legal requirements of the practice of …show more content…
The nurse should continue one’s education, regardless if one is seeking a degree or not. Many states will require that a nurse completes a certain number of hours of continuing education per year so that the nurse will maintain, improve, expand, and enhance one’s knowledge (Burton & Ludwig, 2015). The nurse may stay up to date with one’s state’s published Board of Nursing meeting reports. The nurse may also choose to join a professional nursing organization, for example, the practical nurse may choose to join the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses, Inc. The nurse may choose to subscribe to nursing journals and publications, for example, the practical nurse may enjoy reading the Journal of Practical Nursing. The nurse should be a positive role model within the healthcare setting and in one’s community, and can do so by volunteering to work in understaffed hospitals serving low-income communities, volunteer at a homeless shelter, volunteer to teach high school classes, volunteer at the local nursing home, and mentor nursing