Our social and professional networks often overlap, which is why we don’t always say what we really think. In fact, the anticipation of the upset is far greater than the reality. However, the core values that are expected and appreciated in nurses are responsibility, honesty, integrity, belief in human dignity, patient equality, and the desire to prevent and alleviate suffering. A nurse’s professionalism is judged based on personal behaviors, appearance, presentation, and so on. Nurses are responsible for their own practice and the care that their patients receive. The nurse is responsible for following standards of care in all practice. As the roles of nursing change, nurses are faced with more complex decisions regarding delegation and management of care. The nurse must exercise judgment in accepting responsibilities, and seeking the counsel of others in the course of their duties.

  • Think about a time in your nursing practice where you encountered a challenging situation either with a patient or a co—worker that caused you to reflect on your core-values.
  • Provide a concise description of this challenging experience.
  • What core values were challenged in this experience?
  • What lessons were learned from this experience?
  • How did the experience inform future professional behaviors, decisions, and actions?

Solution

One night in the ER I had a 47-year-old female patient that came in via EMS from home. Upon arrival she was alert, and her speech was clear, but she had some difficulty elaborating on her symptoms. It is hard to describe her presentation. I guess the best way to describe her is that  her behavior was somewhat indicative of someone who could have been a little altered from some sort of substance abuse. She followed commands, but  had some difficulty executing activities  like standing from the stretcher or wheelchair to try and use the bathroom. Her only complaint was that her legs were hurting, and the pain was increasing so she would just repeat that her legs hurt and to please help her. EMS bedside report to me was that patient was at home with her older children when she developed a headache with n/v. This was not too unusual to her children at first because the patient was a heavy drinker according to EMS; and they reported seeing empty beer cans in the trash can. EMS reported that her children stated her last drink was the night before. She was treated as an altered mental status in relation to alcohol abuse patient. I was new to the ER at the time….Kindly click the purchase icon to purchase the full solution at $5