Nurses are intimately involved in the short- and long-term care of patients while offering help to other medical professionals in their practice. This makes them a unique group that must place careful thought to conscience-based objections regardless of their autonomous role in the field of medicine. The field of medicine has been experiencing major changes such as the national legalization of abortion and the legalization of euthanasia in some States in the US. The nursing profession is founded on ethical practice during the care for others. Conscientious objection is a freedom that every nurse ought to enjoy when asked to participate in procedures that they have strong ethical, moral, or religious beliefs and perceive them to be unacceptable. Although it is their right, a nurses' conscientious objection should not affect the quality of care, advanced care directives, safety, or preference of the patient. Nurses are, therefore, expected to be meticulous and take all reasonable steps when practicing their conscientious objection. Nurses play an important role in the care of patients, which makes their conscientious objection to certain assignments a valid matter that must be respected provided the nurses do not voice their concerns out of preference, convenience, or arbitrariness.
Discussion
Reasons Behind a Nurse’s Conscientious Objection
Conscientious objection deals with the conscience of a particular nurse when it comes to the care they give to patients. Conscientious objection is a fundamental right that every nurse has in their line of practice (Lamb et al., 2018). The nursing profession is founded on ethical practice during the care for others. Nurses are moral agents who have a responsibility not only to their patients but also to themselves (Lamb et al., 2017). As a nurse, providing ethical care means that I must do what is right from an ontological perspective. I believe that the moral, ethical, and religious beliefs of nurses can lead them to object to participating in procedures that relate to the area of abortion, resuscitation at all stages of life, and maintenance of treatment for the terminally ill (Lamb et al., 2018). These issues are likely to hinder a nurse from caring for the patient as certain procedures the patients might want to be done on them do not align with their personal beliefs. To address the conscience-based objection in my practice, I will take the following steps discussed in the paragraphs below.
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How I Plan to Tackle Conscience-based Objection in My Practice
As a nurse, I always have my patient's best interest at heart. I, therefore, imagine that other nurses have the best interest of their patients at heart as well. This, I believe, ensures all nurses give the best possible care to their patients. In my practice, when a nurse raises a conscientious objection towards any procedure that is required of them, I will be more inclined to listen to them. I know that the moral, religious, and ethical obligations of an individual can weigh heavily on them, and even if they want to help someone, they find it impossible to do so (Fleming et al., 2018). Research also shows that nurses giving serious consideration to an employment opportunity makes a huge difference in their practice (Lamb et al., 2018). I, therefore, plan on informing them on the kind of assignments to anticipate which will help them choose the job wisely, thus reducing the chances of encountering conscientious objection at work. I also plan on vetting all the nurses I will be working with in my practice. This will help me learn a bit about them and the previous positions they held, which can inform me of what services they are likely to object to.
Another strategy of coping with the conscientious objection, which I plan on using during my practice, is encouraging other nurses to speak up whenever they have a conscientious objection. The American Nurses Association recognizes that nurses can have conscientious objection but emphasize that the objection cannot be formed on the grounds of arbitrariness, convenience, or preference (Lamb et al., 2017). Nurses who end up participating in tasks that they object to without voicing out their objection face significant moral distress that affects how they work and the care they give to their patients (Lamb et al., 2018). I will, therefore, encourage all nurses in my practice to come forward and voice out their conscientious objection. I will then enquire about their reasons for objecting to the proceedure. I will make it known to them the importance of informing the person in authority and caring for the patient as they wait for another nurse to come so that they can hand over the patient (Fleming et al., 2018). This ensures that patients are cared for thus the nurse and the facility cannot be held liable for any preventable accidents or complications that may arise during the transition.
Conclusion
Nurses play a vital role in the field of medicine through the care and help that they give to patients and medical practitioners in healthcare facilities. They also have the freedom to refuse any procedures that may result in them being morally distressed as it has the potential of affecting the care they render to the patients. In my practice, I plan on handling conscience-based objection through vetting the nurses that I will be working with to understand more about them and know the type of assignments that they can handle. I also plan on educating them on how to best approach the issue through voicing out their concerns before the procedure to the rightful authority. I will also inform them of the importance of staying with the patient as they wait for another nurse to hand over the patient. Although nurses have this right, they need to be ethical about it and only voice out their concerns for the right reasons.
References
Fleming, V., Frith, L., Luyben, A., & Ramsayer, B. (2018). Conscientious objection to participation in abortion by midwives and nurses: a systematic review of reasons. BMC medical ethics, 19(1), 31.
Lamb, C., Evans M., Babenko-Mould, Y., Wong, C., & Kirkwood, K. (2018). Nurses’ use of conscientious objection and the implications for conscience. Journal of Advanced Nursing .
Lamb, C., Evans, M., Babenko-Mould, Y., Wong, C. A., & Kirkwood, K. W. (2017). Conscience, conscientious objection, and nursing: A concept analysis. Nursing ethics, 26(1), 37-49.
