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Essay / Nursing Professional Values Essay - 1488
Working in healthcare is an important job. People trust us and do our best to provide them with the best care possible. Being entrusted with such responsibility requires nurses to conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner. Nurses must adhere to the professional values of human dignity, integrity, autonomy, altruism and social justice. It is these five values that guide us in our practice and as nurses we must promote and emulate these values. They play an important role in the quality of treatment and the success of an organization and help us determine right from wrong. Professional Values For nurses to practice ethically, they must understand the meaning of each professional value. The first value is human dignity. With every patient we encounter, we must show them respect as individuals. It does not matter the individual's health status, race, ethnicity, culture, religion or gender. A person's dignity must be protected. As nurses, we must respect the uniqueness of each person we care for, as this is a fundamental right of all human beings. A dignified person experiences a sense of self-worth, and as nurses we must do our best to help our patients maintain this sense of dignity. In addition to respecting human dignity, nurses must practice with integrity. Acting with integrity means practicing in accordance with standards of practice and adhering to a code of ethics. This means that nurses must act in accordance with the code of ethics set forth by the American Nurses Association. The Code of Ethics for Nurses includes 9 unique provisions. Each was put in place to help nurses make morally ethical decisions and lays the foundation for nursing in the middle of a paper......I repeat them in my head. This helps me focus on the work I'm about to do and puts me in the right mindset to take on the new challenges that each day in the unit may bring.ConclusionIn conclusion, professional values are important for nurses to practice and maintain. By striving to uphold these values, nurses can enhance the credibility of the profession, give back to the community, and improve care and outcomes for all. Practicing professional values will help nurses evolve, as health care and the way it is delivered changes due to advances in science and technology. Organizations will experience success and develop a great work environment that employees will be proud to be a part of. Maintaining professional values will allow all nurses to continue practicing for the simple reason of wanting to care for others and give back to those in need...