Abortion and Nurse Autonomy
Abortion is an ethical dilemma many nurses have faced or will face during their career. A nurse may have internal conflicts when assigned to care for a patient who is having or has had an abortion, such as religious beliefs, personal beliefs, which may impede on their level of care of the patient. The nurse must practice the principle of autonomy, or self-driven determination. In the article “A Reflective Study on Abortions in Theatre,” a scrub nurse tells of how they faced the conflict of personal and religious beliefs, lack of communication between staff members, and their reflection on the situation. This article is an example of how ethical dilemmas need to be faced with autonomy so in the end, the patient will not be harmed and be given the best care, abiding by standards of care, and policies set in place to protect the nurse and the patient.
Summary of Article
The article is written by a scrub nurse who was floated to day surgery and the list of patients were those undergoing surgical abortion. The nurse was not able to voice their objections as no one asked if they had any, nor did they attempt to bring it up during their shift. They had concerns as they had no training or experience working in obstetrics and felt they would hamper …show more content…
(“SECTION 217.11” 2017). Texas Nurse Practice Act Rule 217.11 also states that a nurse should “accept only those nursing assignments that take into consideration client safety and that are commensurate with the nurse's educational preparation, experience, knowledge, and physical and emotional ability,” something the author felt did not occur prior to their shift of care. (“SECTION 217.11”, 2017; Murray, 2013, p.
Abortion is an ethical dilemma many nurses have faced or will face during their career. A nurse may have internal conflicts when assigned to care for a patient who is having or has had an abortion, such as religious beliefs, personal beliefs, which may impede on their level of care of the patient. The nurse must practice the principle of autonomy, or self-driven determination. In the article “A Reflective Study on Abortions in Theatre,” a scrub nurse tells of how they faced the conflict of personal and religious beliefs, lack of communication between staff members, and their reflection on the situation. This article is an example of how ethical dilemmas need to be faced with autonomy so in the end, the patient will not be harmed and be given the best care, abiding by standards of care, and policies set in place to protect the nurse and the patient.
Summary of Article
The article is written by a scrub nurse who was floated to day surgery and the list of patients were those undergoing surgical abortion. The nurse was not able to voice their objections as no one asked if they had any, nor did they attempt to bring it up during their shift. They had concerns as they had no training or experience working in obstetrics and felt they would hamper …show more content…
(“SECTION 217.11” 2017). Texas Nurse Practice Act Rule 217.11 also states that a nurse should “accept only those nursing assignments that take into consideration client safety and that are commensurate with the nurse's educational preparation, experience, knowledge, and physical and emotional ability,” something the author felt did not occur prior to their shift of care. (“SECTION 217.11”, 2017; Murray, 2013, p.