Nurses and Healthcare Professionals

Medical professionals such as nurses work day and night to protect the dignity of each other. To nurses, each is unique and is treated equally. The respect accorded to each at each stage of their lives is exceptional and is reciprocated in the manner in which they treat other human beings as well. For people like us in the nursing profession, it is not only necessary but also essential to maintain the dignity of each human life that we interact with in our day to day activities.

The treatment of each with such pride is effective in the achievement of a common goal. (Gastmans, 2013).

According to the American Sentinel, nursing goes beyond delivering care it involves advocating for the patient as well. Nurses interact directly with patients they are in the ideal position to support each one on an individual basis. Older and younger patients demand to be treated differently and not cast into the same pool of health care as people that belong to the same age group. The language and communication used to address patients from these different age groups should also be consistent with their level of understanding. It not only applies to nurse and healthcare because the language used to address people in life that belong to different age groups is substantially different. This is very important in the realization of the common good. (Finke, Light and Kitko, 2008).

In his TEDx talk about human flourishing through the interchange, Soheil Abedian points out that wealth is a form of giving, the more we give, the wealthier we become. He discusses what he calls universal values. Beyond the politics of each group of people and culture in the world, there are certain values such as love understanding, humility, and above all, the principle of unity remain constant. That despite our culture and upbringing and living in a world full of opposites and disparities, we can achieve mutual coexistence through a sense of affection, which we understand our neighbor is one of our family members. It is our responsibility to look after those who are in need. This resonates closely with people in the nursing profession as we endeavor to care for those in need of help. We maintain the human dignity by treating all those in need of our professional support with love and compassion, upholding their human dignity and individuality each step of the way. (Flannery, 2014).

According to Julie Clark a Ph.D. recipient from the Thames Valley University when staff is preparing itself to offer care, it should not ignore the desires of the patients. In cases where patients cannot deliver information to the staff about their preferences, the application of critical thinking and general knowledge on the side of the staff is necessary. This also helps the nurses in making critical decisions and judgments. The study of nursing as a profession will equip learners with the skills required to treat patients with dignity and compassion necessary to uphold human dignity and achieve the common good. (Morton and Hudak, 2017).

Treating patients in need of professional nursing and medical health care is not only our professional mandate but our moral obligation. We need to, as human beings treat everyone with selflessness, love, compassion and with dignity. Each human being is unique and should be treated as such. With our unique individuality, we should be treated differently and not as a collective. It is this unique individuality that is essential for the achievement of the common good and overall human dignity. (Walsh and Kowanko, 2002). We are nurses and healthcare professionals interact with patients in some of their most intimate times and conditions. We should aim to uphold our morality and preserve the dignity and individuality of the people we interact with. It should not only be limited to the confines of our workstations but in our daily lives. (Townsend, 2014).

References

Gastmans, C. (2013). Dignity-enhancing nursing care: a foundational ethical framework. Nursing Ethics, 20(2), 142-149.

Finke, E. H., Light, J., & Kitko, L. (2008). A systematic review of the effectiveness of nurse communication with patients with complex communication needs with a focus on the use of augmentative and alternative communication. Journal of clinical nursing, 17(16), 2102-2115.

Flannery, A. (2014). Gaudium et Spes. Liturgical Press. Morton, P. G., Fontaine, D., Hudak, C. M., & Gallo, B. M. (2017). Critical care nursing: a holistic approach. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Walsh, K., & Kowanko, I. (2002). Nurses’ and patients’ perceptions of dignity. International journal of nursing practice, 8(3), 143-151.Townsend, M. C. (2014). Psychiatric mental health nursing: Concepts of care in evidence-based practice.

FA Davis.Bulman, C., & Schutz, S. (Eds.). (2013). Reflective practice in nursing. John Wiley & Sons.Munhall, P. L. (2012). Nursing research. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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