Importance of Ethics and Law in Nursing

You may know, starting from school, that there is always good and bad, right and wrong. It is somehow correlated to ethics, principles that help us live as good and responsible members of society. When it comes to nursing, these specialists are known as one of the most ethical and honest because they literally assist people in their wellbeing. Therefore, ethics is something very important to comply with alongside law that will help them protect their duties.

Read this review that covers the top reasons for supporting ethics/law in nursing!

Why Cannot Nursing Specialists Be Pros Without Ethics and Law?

First off, let’s identify what ethics and law in nursing are. In simple terms, it is a designated framework that helps nursing specialists ensure the safety of their patients and their health care colleagues. It establishes ethical standards for the profession and builds rules to proceed with favourable decisions for patients and specialists decisions. It means that a nursing worker complies with compassionate approaches regarding the care, and strives for non-suffering assistance. When it comes to the law, it is even easier. It helps one to know their rights, and responsibilities, and avoid any negative consequences or know the responsibilities for them.

For instance, check the following examples:

• Ethics and law when obtaining informed patient’s consent. When a patient is submitted to the clinic for urgent treatment, they should provide a nurse with their consent to undergo that treatment unless they are unconscious. A nurse has to follow the patient’s decision;
• Law requires following patients’ strive for confidentiality and anonymity. It means that every single staff working in a medical facility has to comply with the patient’s privacy. No disclosure of personal data;
• Ethics is important for revealing the truth. Nurses are those specialists who inspire confidence and trust in their services. Patients believe that nurses will always tell the truth regarding their condition. Ethics just helps to deliver any truth in a mild and compassionate form without causing false realities. Besides, honesty helps to build good relationships between a nurse and a patient, the way the latter can disclose their intake of any substances to prevent negative outcomes of the assigned treatment;
• Ethics helps to avoid conflicts. It is pretty common when patients are too aggressive or refuse necessary treatments. A nurse has to follow certain protocols to make a patient relaxed in a professional way.

Imagine, you are submitted to the hospital. What do you expect to see from a nurse? A professional who knows their duties and responsibilities but also knows how to relieve your stress and occasional anxiety. This is partially achieved with the help of learnt ethics.

What about the law only? Its importance is super obvious. Let’s pretend one patient requires urgent treatment for their injury. A nurse will need to obtain their consent or receive a refusal. Even though it might sound ridiculous, if a patient rejects the treatment, a nurse just follows that wish. Law means that the patient’s wish is the primary goal. On the other hand, it also protects nursing specialists from any further legal consequences.

After that, it is worth speaking of the importance of ethics and law taking into consideration the patient’s family. If a patient has a terminal disease, a nurse needs to be compassionate again to deliver that information in a mild form. It does not work that you tell – your relative or beloved one will die. Professional nurses can deliver that information the way the family will take it easier and understand the necessary actions to alleviate that moral pain from the further loss. Otherwise, it concerns the events when a nurse needs to persuade parents to put a patient into a hospital for urgent treatment unless it can be too late.

Let’s Sum Up. So, Ethics and Law in Nursing are Important Because:

• They help be professional but compassionate;
• They help to deliver information abiding the law aspects, and prevent any legal proceedings;
• They help to inspire trust and confidence that nursing specialists should be turned to for help;
• They dictate the expertise in the field. Without ethics and law knowledge, a nurse cannot climb the career ladder due to appearing patients’ complaints. Otherwise, you won’t have good feedback from your colleagues who can also affect your job promotion.

When studying nursing in a college or university, students dedicate many hours to these two fields. There will be separate hours for Ethics and Law as two different disciplines or one but combined. Alongside the provision of care, students should understand the responsibility put on their shoulders. They are the ones who spend the most time with patients, not doctors. If needed, there are also lots of courses to expand your professional knowledge in providing compassionate care. Remember to always treat others, the way you want to be treated.

Note, if you are currently assigned to studying nursing, and experience some hurdles with ethics and law assignments, no need to write it off as lost. You can turn to a nursing essay writing service with professional writers that will help to manage the paper following your requirements regarding the academic rules as well as tight deadlines. You will be matched with an expert who knows inside out of the nursing so that you won’t come across any ridiculous errors or plagiarism.