...Professional Moral Compass Ida Carpenter RN Grand Canyon University August 20, 2012 Ethics is defined as the study of good conduct, character, and purposes. It is concerned with determining what is good or important for all people (Potter & Perry, 2001). I struggle daily with ethics when I am faced with making decisions for one or more of my residents. It is not easy keeping your own feelings or religious beliefs out of decision making. I must practice my ethical behavior each day, by basing my decisions on what is right/fair for the resident. Value is defined as a personal belief about the worth of a given idea, attitude, custom or object that sets standards that influence behavior (Norwood, 2009). My family was raised with multiple values, and the one that always stands out to me is “treat people the way you would want them to treat you.” I live by that same standard every day, as well as pass it along to my children. Morals is defined as of or relating to principles or distinguishing between right and wrong behavior (Webster’s Dictionary, 2003). Throughout my life and the life of my children’s, I continue to instill the Ten Commandments. I always tell my children and myself often that if we follow these steps we could never be accused of wrong doing. I am faced with a battle on a day to day basis when it comes to caring and making sound decisions for my residents. Remembering not to go by my emotions, but to make judgments by asking myself what is best for...
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...Historically, healthcare ethics concerned patients' rights, including the right to be part of their healthcare decision-making. As nurses expand their scope of responsibility, we find ourselves faced with ethical decisions not involving only patients' rights and professional issues, but also issues relating to business and economic factors. Many ethical dilemmas involve the potential conflict of interest between the needs and interests of the patient and the desire of the practitioner to make more money. Ethical vs. Legal Conduct To begin with, it is helpful to distinguish between ethical conduct and legal conduct. For nurses and other medical professionals, behavior that might be considered unethical does not necessarily have to be illegal, but most illegal acts are always unethical. A nurse's behavior, if guided by moral imperatives, should ethically reach a level of responsibility and decision-making that stands apart from legal considerations. Simply put, ethical standards govern our behavior and are based on honesty, responsibility and fairness. In this age of decreasing reimbursement, increased competition and higher business costs, it can be a challenge to maintain an ethical and profitable professional practice, even for nurses who are employed within large organizations. There may be situations when you conclude the needs of your patients or your community exceeds your capacity to provide uncompensated or under-compensated care. Other nurses have determined that...
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...Running head: MY PROFESSIONAL MORAL COMPASS My Professional Moral Compass Pamela Chesnut Grand Canyon University Ethical Decision Making in Health Care NRS 437V July 26, 2012 My Professional Moral Compass A professional moral compass is something everyone has and lives by. It helps assist in making decisions and is based on morals or virtues. My personal moral compass is directed by various inspirations, passions, and values that I try to live by. Compassion, loyalty, integrity, honor, faithfulness, hard work, service unto others, self-discipline, accountability, and a good sense of humor contribute to my worldview and philosophy of nursing. I try to give the same quality of care to all patients and their family members, which I would want to be given as if it were I or my loved one. A nurse uses their professional moral compass to make the best decisions for their patient. Nursing is all about the patients and without values, morals, and ethics nurses lose the focus on the patients. Values are the moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social group (“Value“, n.d.). Values are important because they can help influence decisions, actions, even nurse’s ethical decision making. Morals in nursing are the principles of behavior in accordance with standards of right and wrong. Ethics is about what kind of persons we are becoming – our character and how our choices shape us (“Ethics”, n.d.). The ethics of nursing is the nurse's...
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...Running head: PERSONAL ETHICS Personal Ethics: Professional Moral Compass Grand Canyon University NRS 437V January 8, 2012 Professional Moral Compass Ethics, a branch of philosophy refers to the values for human conduct, considering the rightness and wrongness of actions and motives. As nursing profession is an integral part of the health care environment, the nursing ethics provides the insight to the values and ethical principles governing nursing practice, conduct, and relationships. The Code of Ethics for Nurses, adopted by the American Nurses' Association (ANA) is intended to provide definite standards of practice and conduct that are essential to the ethical discharge of the nurse's responsibility (American Nurses Association, 2012). A nurse cultivates personal ethics through personal, cultural and spiritual values which becomes a moral compass for their professional ethics. Personal ethics in combination with the code of ethics often assist the nurses in personal and social decision making during ethical dilemma. This ability prompts them to better respond to needs of the suffering patient and their own well-being. This paper will discuss the personal, cultural, and spiritual values contributing to nurses’ individual worldview and philosophy of nursing and the moral and ethical dilemma being faced in this profession. Values Contributing to Individual’s Worldview and Philosophy of Nursing Born in a Christian middle class South Indian family, the strict...
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...Running head: MY MORAL COMPASS My Moral Compass My Moral Compass Our deepest and enduring sense of identity comes from realizing our connection to the larger world (Bloom, n.d.). Morality directs life’s journey; it is the basis of all decisions, attitudes, and goals. The process of being moral is developed from personal experiences and parental guidance. One set of values may differ from another, but neither is wrong. The Code of Ethics designed by the American Nurse’s Association (ANA) in 2001, is the framework for ethical practice and personal moral beliefs in nursing. The moral compass is the key component to ethical decision making and practice as defined by ANA. Nurses use a moral compass to guide them in ethically caring for patients. Each compass is unique and carries with it a specific set of values. Personal, cultural, and spiritual values influence nursing care and create a professional moral compass. Two values that contribute to my professional self identity are justice and compassion. Judicial treatment in the American healthcare system is easier to obtain than in some other countries. However, the incorporation of insurance companies can make obtaining ethical care more challenging. The insurance based health system is directed and influenced by money, making the majority of a patient’s care based on approval or denial of claims to maintain health. It is difficult as a nurse to deliver adequate care at times when better care could be given. For example...
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...Professional Moral Compass Ethics, a branch of philosophy refers to the values for human conduct, considering the rightness and wrongness of actions and motives. As nursing profession is an integral part of the health care environment, the nursing ethics provides the insight to the values and ethical principles governing nursing practice, conduct, and relationships. The Code of Ethics for Nurses, adopted by the American Nurses' Association (ANA) is intended to provide definite standards of practice and conduct that are essential to the ethical discharge of the nurse's responsibility (American Nurses Association, 2012). A nurse cultivates personal ethics through personal, cultural and spiritual values which becomes a moral compass for their professional ethics. Personal ethics in combination with the code of ethics often assist the nurses in personal and social decision making during ethical dilemma. This ability prompts them to better respond to needs of the suffering patient and their own well-being. This paper will discuss the personal, cultural, and spiritual values contributing to nurses’ individual worldview and philosophy of nursing and the moral and ethical dilemma being faced in this profession. Values Contributing to Individual’s Worldview and Philosophy of Nursing Born in a Christian middle class South Indian family, the strict traditional values helped to embed the concept of service, trust, respect, integrity and responsibility through family, friends, education...
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...My Professional Moral Compass A professional moral compass is something everyone has and lives by. It helps assist in making decisions and is based on morals or virtues. My personal moral compass is directed by various inspirations, passions, and values that I try to live by. Compassion, loyalty, integrity, honor, faithfulness, hard work, service unto others, self-discipline, accountability, and a good sense of humor contribute to my worldview and philosophy of nursing. I try to give the same quality of care to all patients and their family members, which I would want to be given as if it were I or my loved one. A nurse uses their professional moral compass to make the best decisions for their patient. Nursing is all about the patients and without values, morals, and ethics nurses lose the focus on the patients. Values are the moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social group (“Value“, n.d.). Values are important because they can help influence decisions, actions, even nurse’s ethical decision making. Morals in nursing are the principles of behavior in accordance with standards of right and wrong. Ethics is about what kind of persons we are becoming – our character and how our choices shape us (“Ethics”, n.d.). The ethics of nursing is the nurse's obligation to respect the human rights of the patient and this is reflected in a number of professional codes for nurses. Values, morals, and ethics guide nurses to provide the best possible care for their...
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...My Nursing Ethics According to the Cambridge Dictionary (2013), a moral compass is “a natural feeling that makes people know what is right and wrong and how they should behave”. A professional moral compass is similar to our conscience that guides our behavior in professional settings. The worldview and nursing philosophies in nursing practice are influenced by an individual’s upbringing, spiritual and cultural practices, life experiences, and other factors that are unique to each of us (Ohio Nurses Association, 2013). Ethical dilemmas arise when our personal values conflict with the duties of our practice (Purtilo & Doherty, 2012). In various settings, nurses frequently encounter ethical dilemmas. One must have a moral compass to guide us in our professional practice. There are some factors that contribute to who we are as individuals. From our upbringings, memories, personal experiences, knowledge and reasoning of people and situations shape who we are, making our personal ethical philosophy. Through her desire to be a good and caring person, this student started reading and learning from the Bible and believe in God. This student started to develop her moral compass. Principles and values such as family, the golden rule, hard work, self-discipline, honesty, compassion, fairness, integrity, respect, benevolence, loyalty, accountability, and service to others, to name some, have been instilled in this student from a young age and this student utilizes these principles and...
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...emotions, and knowledge affecting our perceptions, reasoning and judgment of people and situations. The collection of these factors makes up the basis for an individual’s personal ethical philosophy. A personal philosophy, or worldview, guides behaviors and acts as a source of inspiration and motivation. As a nurse, it is essential to consider the client’s worldview as it is the basis for their reality and will have an effect on the view of their health and is necessary in providing a holistic plan of care. In order for the professional nurse to provide such care it is essential to have an awareness of factors influencing his or her own worldview and develop a moral compass (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008). My Professional Moral Compass According to Webster’s New Millennium Dictionary of English, a moral compass is, "anything which serves to guide a person’s decisions based on morals or virtues,” (Moral compass, 2011). My personal moral compass is directed by various inspirations, passions, and values that have become essential to my happiness. Family, laughter, integrity, benevolence, honor, loyalty, hard work, service unto others, self-discipline, compassion, and accountability were values instilled in me at a very young age. I am most thankful to my parents for making it a priority to stress these values as an important attributes for man to possess in order to be a contribution to society. These values have served as unwavering principles in guiding my personal...
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...Running Head: PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS Personal and Professional Ethics Dawn McGaffick Grand Canyon University: NRS 437V July 24, 2011 Personal and Professional Ethics For the past several days I have been pondering what ethics means. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, ethics is defined as “A set of moral principles” (2011). You have business ethics, medical ethics, political ethics, and religious ethics. Ethics are also found in marriage, when you take your vows you are promising to fulfill a set of moral principles. If you do not fulfill those principles, you are unethical. This paper is going to discuss my professional moral compass, personal values, cultural values, spiritual values and how they shape my nursing practice. I will also touch on how the moral and ethical dilemmas affect health care today. Professional Moral Compass My professional moral compass started when I first entered college. It was during my business education that ethics was originally discussed. In business, a moral compass seems to be lacking. The goal of business ethics encompasses staying out of trouble with the law while continuing to producing money. Luckily I went to a Christian college and they not only taught the goal of making the company you work for profitable but also fulfilling your obligation with morality. While in nursing school, the nursing code of ethics was discussed often. The code of ethics gave us a strong guideline in how to conduct...
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... personal experiences, and learned knowledge. A combination of these is an individual’s view of life. Morals can be described as lessons learned and the correct way to behave or act that is considered right, and values can be defined as strongly held beliefs (Merrim-Webster, 2012). The definition of ethics as stated in the Merrim-Webster dictionary is the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. These three terms can be tied together to define one’s own personal ethics. Values are learned as a child that parents teach, morals are developed from what is taught, and ethics is how a person behaves when faced with a difficult situation. An individual’s beliefs will continue on throughout life and be incorporated into their everyday lives. Ones personal ethics can be different from the next. What one may see as right, another may view as wrong. Medical professionals have established ethical standards that guide their everyday practice. This paper will discuss the writer’s personal worldview and how these are incorporated into her daily practice as a registered nurse caring for burn patients. Professional Moral Compass According to Webster’s New Millennium Dictionary of English[->0], a moral compass is, "anything which serves to guide a person’s decisions based on morals or virtues" (2012). This writer considers moral compass to be conscience. This is based on what was learned and instilled while growing up. These include integrity...
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...Professional Values and Ethics Paper Professional Values and Ethics Paper J.J. Jones GEN/200 26 May 2009 Professional Values and Ethics Paper What does the lensatic compass and professional values and ethics have in common? The lensatic compass allows the infantryman to set a direct azimuth or path to an objective. With the azimuth set, the infantryman can readily recognize rough terrain, valleys and hills that he must negotiate to successfully reach the objective. Likewise, professional values and ethics provide both the employer and the employee a clear path to success – a compass. By adhering to Professional Values and Ethics will enable employees, employers and other professionals to avoid the many potential minefields that inundate the landscape of the business and professional worlds. To really appreciate Professional Values and Ethics, we have to look closely at the terms values and ethics. Values are principles we use to judge between what is right and wrong, good and bad, and normal and abnormal. Values are primarily developed through our personal experiences, religious background, and social environment. Ethics is defined as a theory or a system of moral values; the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession.(dictionary.com) . The tasks of professional ethics are to identify moral standards and assessments, judgments and concepts, charactering people as representatives of a particular profession. Professional ethics develops...
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...Professional Values and Ethics Paper J.J. Jones GEN/200 26 May 2009 Professional Values and Ethics Paper What does the lensatic compass and professional values and ethics have in common? The lensatic compass allows the infantryman to set a direct azimuth or path to an objective. With the azimuth set, the infantryman can readily recognize rough terrain, valleys and hills that he must negotiate to successfully reach the objective. Likewise, professional values and ethics provide both the employer and the employee a clear path to success – a compass. By adhering to Professional Values and Ethics will enable employees, employers and other professionals to avoid the many potential minefields that inundate the landscape of the business and professional worlds. To really appreciate Professional Values and Ethics, we have to look closely at the terms values and ethics. Values are principles we use to judge between what is right and wrong, good and bad, and normal and abnormal. Values are primarily developed through our personal experiences, religious background, and social environment. Ethics is defined as a theory or a system of moral values; the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession.(dictionary.com) . The tasks of professional ethics are to identify moral standards and assessments, judgments and concepts, charactering people as representatives of a particular profession. Professional ethics develops norms, standards...
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...My Professional Moral Compass. Distinct moral compass in an individual directs him/her to decide what the correct behavior is and what not the correct behavior is. An Indian nurse, who belongs to the Jain community, considers eating non-vegetarian food and any root-crops is unacceptable, whereas an Indian nurse of Christian or an Islamic religion would perceive it to be just normal to include them in their diet. For the nurse, who follow Jainism it is despicable, but the Christian or Muslim nurse would believe that they are the essential components of their daily diet. Such code of ethics of an individual is developed and refined from the social and cultural background from childhood to adulthood. Every human being initiates to develop ethical standard or character virtually from birth. As they go through developmental phases, they are taught right from wrong, generate empathy for others through interactive observations and understand as to how to behave in a style that is appropriately. They cultivate different perceptions, philosophies, cultural outlooks and distinct ethical concepts, as they go through real life experiences. I attained the basic knowledge of life basically from my parents, church, schools; right from kindergarten, books and from personal reflections. The principles and morals developed over time shaped me as what I am today and help me to interact effectively in society. Some folks follow heroes and heroines as a role model. Specific values,...
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...emotions, and knowledge affecting our perceptions, reasoning and judgment of people and situations. The collection of these factors makes up the basis for an individual’s personal ethical philosophy. A personal philosophy, or worldview, guides behaviors and acts as a source of inspiration and motivation. As a nurse, it is essential to consider the client’s worldview as it is the basis for their reality and will have an effect on the view of their health and is necessary in providing a holistic plan of care. In order for the professional nurse to provide such care it is essential to have an awareness of factors influencing his or her own worldview and develop a moral compass (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2008). My Professional Moral Compass According to Webster’s New Millennium Dictionary of English, a moral compass is, "anything which serves to guide a person’s decisions based on morals or virtues,” (Moral compass, 2011). My personal moral compass is directed by various inspirations, passions, and values that have become essential to my happiness. Family, laughter, integrity, benevolence, honor, loyalty, hard work, service unto others, self-discipline, compassion, and accountability were values instilled in me at a very young age. I am most thankful to my parents for making it a priority to stress these values as an important attributes for man to possess in order to be a contribution to society. These values have served as unwavering principles in guiding my personal...
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