Professional Platform for Ethics and Leadership
The growth I have realized so far as a healthcare professional has been attributed to my values, beliefs, and ethical perspective. I have grown in steps over the years, studied hard, served passionately, and acted in various leadership positions not only as a nurse but also in my community and the nation at large. The experiences I have had were worth the commitment I have had throughout my life. I have created memories and reflections that have made me who I am today.
As a healthcare professional, I am a moral agent whose actions impact not only myself but also the people around me. According to Nesengani et al. (2021), nurses spend the most time with patients while providing care and influence how patients adhere to treatment.
As a result, it is prudent that I have personal ethics and a moral framework for my practice and development but also enhance my professional relationship. In this paper, I will provide a complete reflection of myself, including primary influences, personal and professional ethics, ethical leadership, and my professional development plan.
Primary Influences
In terms of primary influences on my beliefs, values, and ethical principles, I believe that my childhood experiences had a significant impact. Growing up, my parents and close relatives always influenced my moral development and helped shape my destiny. For instance, my parents emphasized the importance of honesty, kindness, selflessness, and empathy, and these values have stayed with me throughout my life.
As a nurse, I have always been guided by a strong sense of compassion and a desire to help others. I also learned the importance of respect for others which has positively impacted my interactions and the growth of my professional relationship. In addition, my religious beliefs and faith played a significant role in shaping my ethical principles. My religious beliefs direct me to act with kindness, do right, be just, and show compassion towards others. These beliefs and values are in line with expectations for nurses and other healthcare professionals.
According to Monroe (2019), healthcare professionals, especially nurses, are required to show compassion, empathy, kindness, and respect to their patients to improve health outcomes. Throughout my childhood and into adulthood, these values have remained a constant presence in my life and have shaped the way I approach my work as a nurse. Besides, my education and training experiences in my adulthood have further helped in shaping my values, beliefs, and ethical perspectives.
In addition to the values instilled in me by my family, my experiences as a nurse have also influenced my ethical principles. Working with patients and their families has given me a deep appreciation for the importance of respect, confidentiality, and professionalism in the healthcare setting. It has also shown me the importance of advocating for patients and ensuring that they receive the best possible care and treatment.
Personal and Professional Ethical Principles
One of the ethical principles that influences me personally and professionally is the principle of autonomy, which holds that individuals have the right to make decisions about their healthcare (McDermott-Levy et al., 2018). Autonomy also requires that patients’ decisions and rights are upheld and respected at all costs. I believe that patients should have a say in their care and that my role as a nurse is to empower them to make informed decisions about their health.
I deeply engage patients regarding their treatment and provide complete information about the proposed treatment modality, including its risks, benefits, and existing alternatives. I allow my patients to make their own informed decisions before embarking on treatment. Some patients agree to the proposal, but unfortunately, some decline treatments. Because I respect autonomy, I have always respected the decisions made by patients, provided the patient is of sound mind.
I also value the principle of non-maleficence, which requires me to do no harm to my patients, and beneficence which requires me to act in the best interest of my patients by doing whatever is necessary to help them. I strive to provide care that is safe and effective, and I am always mindful of the potential risks and benefits of any treatment or intervention I recommend. To enhance care and enhance health outcomes, I also practice as guided by the knowledge from evidence-based practice.
According to (Li et al. (2019), evidence-based practice is a balanced, objective, and responsible use of the best available data and current research to guide policies and practices as well ensure a conscientious problem-solving approach to clinical practice. I read various research articles, clinical guidelines, and all available useful resources to improve my knowledge and enhance my decision-making. Fortunately, by utilizing EBP, I have been able to come up with individualized care plans for every patient I interact with. Patient outcomes have improved with enhanced safety practices I have used in my clinical practice.
Ethical Practice of Professional Nursing
In my professional practice as a nurse, I also place a strong emphasis on confidentiality and respect for patient privacy. Patient confidentiality means that all personal and medical information shared by the patient to the healthcare provider remains undisclosed to others without the patient’s knowledge. (Amorim et al., 2019).
I believe protecting the sensitive information patients share with me and respecting their right to privacy is important. I always act with integrity to maintain confidentiality in my relationships with my patients. I also believe that it is important to be honest and transparent with patients and communicate with them openly and clearly. This means being honest with patients about their treatment options, advocating for their needs when necessary, and respecting their decisions as required by autonomy. This helps to build trust and enhance the relationship with patients.
According to Drossman and Ruddy (2020), an improved patient-healthcare relationship makes patients comfortable sharing their information with healthcare providers, which is key for the provision of proper care. Furthermore, I also understand my limitations and continually do consultations and engage in further learning to improve my knowledge to provide holistic care to my patients. I also uphold the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations to provide the best care for patients.
Ethical Leadership and Professional Development Plan
In terms of ethical leadership and professional development, I believe leaders should lead by example and model behaviors that impact them and those around them. As I continue to develop as a nurse and take on leadership roles, I recognize that I have both positive and negative aspects of my character that may emerge.
On the positive side, I am a strong advocate for my patients and am committed to ensuring that they receive the best possible care. Advocacy is a crucial role nurse play in their daily activities to ensure patients’ rights and interests are addressed as well as ensure quality and safe care is provided (Abbasinia et al., 2020). I have been an active advocate, and I am not stopping soon, either.
I am also a good listener and try to be empathetic and understand the challenges my patients and colleagues may face. Good listening forms part of active communication and helps in developing a better understanding of thoughts, ideas, and facts (Afriyie, 2020). Furthermore, I aspire to lead as a role model by being honest, transparent, and accountable in my actions. This also means being ready to take on challenges and handle trying situations in a fair, unbiased, and just way.
On the negative side, I may sometimes struggle with setting clear boundaries and delegating tasks to others. I am working on developing these skills as I continue to grow as a leader in my field. I understand these weaknesses could affect my future interactions, and I am committed to continuing to work on myself and seeking out new opportunities for personal and professional growth to become a more effective leader.
Conclusion
Overall, my values, beliefs, and ethical perspectives are grounded in a strong sense of compassion and a desire to help others. These values shape the way I approach my work as a nurse and guide me in my professional practice and leadership development. I believe that it is important to always act with integrity and to prioritize the well-being of others. I am committed to continuing to grow and develop as a person and as a leader to better serve those around me.
Professional Platform for Ethics and Leadership References
- Abbasinia, M., Ahmadi, F., & Kazemnejad, A. (2020). Patient advocacy in nursing: A concept analysis. Nursing Ethics, 27(1), 141–151. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733019832950
- Afriyie, D. (2020). Effective communication between nurses and patients: an evolutionary concept analysis. British Journal of Community Nursing, 25(9), 438–445. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjcn.2020.25.9.438
- Amorim, C. B., Barlem, E. L. D., Mattos, L. M. de, Costa, C. F. S. da, & Oliveira, S. G. de. (2019). Comunicação de notícias difíceis na atenção básica à saúde: barreiras e facilitadores percebidos por enfermeiras. Revista gaucha de enfermagem, 40, e20190017. https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-1447.2019.20190017
- Drossman, D. A., & Ruddy, J. (2020). Improving patient-provider relationships to improve health care. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology: The Official Clinical Practice Journal of the American Gastroenterological Association, 18(7), 1417–1426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2019.12.007
- Li, S., Cao, M., & Zhu, X. (2019). Evidence-based practice: Knowledge, attitudes, implementation, facilitators, and barriers among community nurses—a systematic review. Medicine, 98(39), e17209. https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000017209
- McDermott-Levy, R., Leffers, J., & Mayaka, J. (2018). Ethical Principles and guidelines of Global Health Nursing Practice. Nursing Outlook, 66(5), 473–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2018.06.013
- Monroe, H. A. (2019). Nurses’ professional values: Influences of experience and ethics education. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 28(9–10), 2009–2019. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14806
- Nesengani, T. V., Downing, C., Poggenpoel, M., & Stein, C. (2021). Perceptions of strategies to facilitate caring for patients in primary health care clinics. African Journal of Primary Health Care & Family Medicine, 13(1), e1–e9. https://doi.org/10.4102/phcfm.v13i1.2652
Professional Platform for Ethics and Leadership
The role of the health care professional includes being a moral agent or a person whose actions affect themselves and others at a moral level. It is important to have a personal ethic or moral framework in which you ground your practice and professional relationships. The purpose of this assignment is to explore and create a foundation for leadership and ethics in your professional practice.
Write a reflection on the nature, sources, and implications of your values, beliefs, and ethical perspectives that guide your personal life and nursing practice. Please note, grading is based on the clarity and depth of your writing and the apparent effort given the assignment, not on the rightness or wrongness of your position. You are encouraged to be honest in your self-assessments and conclusions.
Each of the following points must be addressed in your essay:
- Primary influences (childhood and adult)
- Ethical principles that influence you personally and professionally
- Ethical practice of professional nursing
- Ethical leadership and professional development plan. Include both positive and negative aspects of your character that emerge when you are in a position of authorit
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