Nine tenets are used to govern nursing practice. These tenets inform nurses how to approach different issues that they can encounter in the nursing practice. They also inform nurses on how best to care and advocate for their patients. Of the nine tenets, the second and third provisions are discussed in the essay.
Provision 2: A nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient; whether a family, community, group, population of or an individual.
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Nurses serve several purposes that ensure patients, families and the whole population is well cared for. As a nurse, I will showcase my commitment to the patient by ensuring that I let them take part in the planning and implementation of the care they get (Butts & Rich, 2019). I will also ensure that I factor in elements that make them unique such as considering their spiritual needs and religious beliefs and find a way to incorporate them in the plan of care. I will also ensure that I inform the patient of any conflict of interest in the available treatment options and available resources that can help them in their journey to wellness.
The purpose of the second tenet to nursing is to ensure that nurses first consider their patient and have their best interest as they work. The principle also ensures that when nurses experience a conflict of interest, they can acknowledge it and inform their patients (Butts & Rich, 2019). This will ensure the patients are fully aware of everything about their care. It also ensures nurses can acknowledge their shortcomings and withdraw from the situation to offer the patient the best chances of getting better. An example of the tenet as applied to practice is when nurses seek professional help from their colleagues and include family members or other moral agents of the patient when coming up with the care plan for the patient (Butts & Rich, 2019). Nurses can include family members and moral agents in decision making when the patient cannot actively participate in the care management plan.
It is important to uphold the tenet in maximizing the quality of patient care. This is because it ensures nurses commitment is strict to the patient where the nurse will do the right thing by the patient to improve their quality of life (Butts & Rich, 2019). The tenet enhances my practice as a nurse by informing me of the importance of collaboration and having professional boundaries. It also enhances my practice by showing me how to best care for the patients even in times of conflict.
Provision 3: A nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the safety, rights and health of the patient.
As a nurse, I will apply the third tenet in the practice setting with my patients through promoting the safety health and rights of my patients. I will protect the patients’ privacy and confidentiality by ensuring that their personal information and records are kept safe, thus maintain data security (Butts & Rich, 2019). I will also ensure that I report any inappropriate conduct that infringes on the rights of the patient or a study participant in research (Haddad, & Geiger, 2019). I will also maintain a culture of safety by being up to date with existing policies regarding patient safety and helping in identifying impaired practice and remedying it.
The purpose of the tenet is to ensure that patient safety is maintained. Nurses are informed on the several ways in which they can facilitate and advocate for the safety and rights of the patients in their care (Butts & Rich, 2019). The tenet also ensures patients are protected from impaired or questionable practice. The tenet is applied in practice when nurses report on faulty practices or assist whistleblowers who have identified questionable practices within the facility (Butts & Rich, 2019). It ensures that nurses reduce the chances of the whistleblower being reprimanded.
It is also important to uphold the tenet as it helps in the maximizing of the quality of care patients get. The tenet ensures that nurses are keen on protecting their patient and ensuring they get the best care available to restore their health and improve their quality of life (Haddad, & Geiger, 2019). This tenet enhances my practice as a nurse by informing me on how best to ensure patient safety. It also informs me of the relevance of the ANA’s Code of Ethics for Nurses and how to help a colleague who identifies questionable practice to ensure patients receive the best care.
Conclusion
The tenets on nurse commitment to the patient and nurses’ task in promoting, advocating and protecting patient health and safety are among the nine tenets that inform nursing practice. These tenets ensure that nurses are keen on protecting their patient and ensuring they get the best care available. They also ensure that nurses’ commitment is to the clients where the nurse will do the right thing by the patient to improve their quality of life
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References
Butts, J. B., & Rich, K. L. (2019). Nursing ethics. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2019). Nursing Ethical Considerations. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing .
