The following Journal Refection will ask you to consider an ethical provision for nurses as defined by the ANA.
Provision 1: “The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.”
The world is made up of numerous types of people, cultures, societies, worldviews, religions, opinions, and values. This is part of what makes humanity unique, special, complex, and prone to conflict. The very thing that brings beauty to mankind can make it difficult for people to coincide in peace with one another. Consider for a moment the differences of each person below.
Person A – Born in London, she is 88 years old. She has lived in six different countries, has had two marriages and four children, and has been the CEO of a large financial trading company.
Person B – Born in LA, California, she is 23 years old. She has two children, and currently works night shift at a local casino.
Person C – Born in Oklahoma, he is 43 years old. He is married with two children and works as a local pastor in a large denomination church.
Person D – Born in New England, he is 33 years old. He is not married and has no children. He resides at a federal detention center, having been sentenced to a 25-year prison term for a crime he says he did not commit.
What differences exist in social and economic status among the four people described? How can social and economic status influence how people interact with one another and perceive each other?
*Only discuss their social and economic status; the next module will address their diagnoses
If the student desires to consult a reference for additional information, the following texts are recommended as
providing complete treatment of the course subject matter.
Butts, J., Rich, K. (2013). Nursing ethics: across the curriculum and into practice. Jones
& Bartlett Learning.
Chesnay, M., Anderson, B. (2012). Caring for the vulnerable: perspectives in nursing theory, practice
and research. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Solomon, R., Martin, C., Vaught, W. (2008). Morality and the Good Life: An Introduction to Ethics
through Classical Sources. McGraw-Hill.
