Nursing is a noble profession and entails doing ethical practices hence require moral courage to take tough stands to do what is right. All areas and levels of nursing require moral courage and living ones moral values. Moral courage is necessary for living a happy life as well as maintaining a virtuous life. Without courage, nurses may have no control in their work and life as fear can corrode their spirit of bravery.
Describe and Define Moral Courage
Moral courage can be defined as a bravery behavior that one undertakes to enforce an ethical or societal norm (Bickhoff, Sinclair & Levett-Jones, 2017). Often the behavior or action is done without consideration of one’s own social costs to be incurred (Comer & Vega, 2015). It is also the determination to exhibit fortitude and constantly exert professional skepticism in one's actions. It also involves challenging those who behave inappropriately and resisting of exploitation for individual or private benefit and being steady fast in promoting the public interest.
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Discuss the Importance of Moral Courage Even in The Face of Adversity
Nurses and nursing administrators need to exhibit moral courage all times and even in the face of adversity. Moral courage requires strength and courage in influencing what is moral right and resisting what is immoral and unethical even in the most difficult most situations (Numminen, Repo & Leino-Kilpi, 2017). By maintaining moral courage nursing administrator stand for the truth despite any possible retaliation, rejections, and ridicule that may jeopardize their individual situations. Bickhoff, Sinclair & Levett-Jones (2017) noted that upholding moral courage in all situation leads to a happy and virtuous life and improved self-esteem as integrity is a virtue admired by many.
How Ethical-Decision Making can be improved in Healthcare
Ethical decision making in healthcare can be further improved by involving other stakeholders in decision making to deliver decisions that take into consideration the input of other important stakeholders. This, therefore, involves the engagement of patients caregivers and families while making individual patients healthcare decision (Gini, 2015). Ethical decision making can be improved by understanding the individual patients' culture and preference before making health care decisions to make sure the decision does not conflict with the patients right to autonomy.
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How did RN Wubbels display moral courage?
The RN Wubbels stood by the moral principles not to draw blood samples from an unconscious patient since nursing principles require that a patient is supposed to consent before a blood sample is drawn from the body. By being steady fast to the right nursing moral ethics despite the assault by corps and subsequent arrest for not having compromised moral ethics. RN Wubbels displayed a high level of moral courage and adherence to nursing moral standards.
How can administrators ensure nurses feel comfortable to display moral courage?
As a healthcare administrator, I need to be the champions in demonstrating moral courage so that I can motivate nurses to follow the suite. In the event administrators in leadership position openly compromise ethics, nurses become uncomfortable in exercising moral courage leading to indecisiveness at work (Savel & Munro, 2015). Therefore as a nursing leader, I should also encourage strict adherence to nursing principles and policies so that nurses do not compromise ethics when offering patient care.
Conclusion
Moral courage is all about standing for moral and ethical principles despite any emotional pain, physical danger, disapproval, or financial insecurity consequences. It is important for nurses and nursing administrators to uphold high levels of moral courage to ensure ethicality at work and to ensure that the interest of the patient comes first in every decision made. Involvement of other healthcare stakeholders and the understanding of patients’ culture is important in improving health care ethical decision making.
Reference
Bickhoff, L., Sinclair, P. M., & Levett-Jones, T. (2017). Moral courage in undergraduate nursing students: A literature review. Collegian, 24(1), 71-83.
Comer, D. R., & Vega, G. (2015). Moral courage in organizations: Doing the right thing at work. London: ME Sharpe, p. 33-35.
Gini, A. (2015). A short primer on moral courage. In Moral courage in organizations: Doing the right thing at work. London: Routledge press, p. 27-36.
Numminen, O., Repo, H., & Leino-Kilpi, H. (2017). Moral courage in nursing: A concept analysis. Nursing ethics, 24(8), 878-891.
Savel, R. H., & Munro, C. L. (2015). Moral distress, moral courage. CA:Sharpe books, p.2-6.
