Barriers To Nursing Advocacy Research Paper
Barriers to Nursing Advocacy and How to Overcome Them
Vickie Bone
Nursing Ethics
NUR4826
Professor Teresa Goodman
February 3, 2013
Barriers to Nursing Advocacy and How to Overcome Them
Nurses act as advocates for their patients every day. It becomes an issue when barriers come between the nurse and the patient and/or their employer. This essay will discuss the common barriers that nurses’ encounter in their role as a patient advocate, how conflicts occur within institutions when nurses overstep their boundaries, and how nurses can overcome these barriers using nurse advocacy skills. Today’s healthcare system is becoming so increasingly complex that nurses have to learn to navigate it in …show more content…
Amanda Trujillo was a nurse who was fired for educating a patient on the eve of their surgery about the possible complications and ordered a case management consult for the patient to be educated about hospice care which delayed the surgery (Kennedy, 2013). The hospital stated that Amanda Trujillo was practicing outside her scope of practice (Kennedy, 2013). The eventual outcome of this case can be seen in the “consent agreement” that Amanda Trujillo has signed with the Arizona Board of Nursing, which states that she “admits the Board’s Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law” and agrees to fairly onerous terms for continuing to practice as an RN on probation (Kennedy, 2013). From my experience, there is an increasing conflict of interest in healthcare. Informed consent is a doctor’s responsibility but as a nurse, I have always educated patients about procedures, tests, etc. prior to their procedure. Nursing advocacy is making sure that the patient understands what is planned for them and if they have questions, then the nurse should let the doctor know before having test, procedures, and/or surgery done. Nurses will always have to juggle between being a patient advocate and following doctor’s orders within the policies of a working …show more content…
With unprecedented changes that impact patient care, nurses have to use their advocacy skills to face barriers with patients, doctors, work institutions, and any other professional arena. Nurses have to keep themselves grounded in principles that are ethically and professionally correct to avoid consequences of unresolved barriers that are not supported by other healthcare professionals. The ultimate goal is for nurses to use their knowledge, experience, and skills to be excellent patient advocates and in the process change the pitfalls of
Vickie Bone
Nursing Ethics
NUR4826
Professor Teresa Goodman
February 3, 2013
Barriers to Nursing Advocacy and How to Overcome Them
Nurses act as advocates for their patients every day. It becomes an issue when barriers come between the nurse and the patient and/or their employer. This essay will discuss the common barriers that nurses’ encounter in their role as a patient advocate, how conflicts occur within institutions when nurses overstep their boundaries, and how nurses can overcome these barriers using nurse advocacy skills. Today’s healthcare system is becoming so increasingly complex that nurses have to learn to navigate it in …show more content…
Amanda Trujillo was a nurse who was fired for educating a patient on the eve of their surgery about the possible complications and ordered a case management consult for the patient to be educated about hospice care which delayed the surgery (Kennedy, 2013). The hospital stated that Amanda Trujillo was practicing outside her scope of practice (Kennedy, 2013). The eventual outcome of this case can be seen in the “consent agreement” that Amanda Trujillo has signed with the Arizona Board of Nursing, which states that she “admits the Board’s Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law” and agrees to fairly onerous terms for continuing to practice as an RN on probation (Kennedy, 2013). From my experience, there is an increasing conflict of interest in healthcare. Informed consent is a doctor’s responsibility but as a nurse, I have always educated patients about procedures, tests, etc. prior to their procedure. Nursing advocacy is making sure that the patient understands what is planned for them and if they have questions, then the nurse should let the doctor know before having test, procedures, and/or surgery done. Nurses will always have to juggle between being a patient advocate and following doctor’s orders within the policies of a working …show more content…
With unprecedented changes that impact patient care, nurses have to use their advocacy skills to face barriers with patients, doctors, work institutions, and any other professional arena. Nurses have to keep themselves grounded in principles that are ethically and professionally correct to avoid consequences of unresolved barriers that are not supported by other healthcare professionals. The ultimate goal is for nurses to use their knowledge, experience, and skills to be excellent patient advocates and in the process change the pitfalls of