A Nurses Moral Compass
Running head: A NURSE'S MORAL COMPASS
A Nurse's moral compass
Katherine McCready
Grand Canyon University
May 23, 2012
A Nurse's moral compass
Every person’s moral compass is based on honesty, responsibility and fairness. To this writer, a moral compass is anything which serves to direct a person’s conscience based on morals or virtues. First and foremost, morality is relational. It is concerned with associations between people and how they can best live in tranquility and agreement. The goal of morality is to defend a high value of life for the person and the community as a whole. Morality directs a person’s life; it is the core of all decisions, attitudes and goals. The process of being moral is developed from a person’s experiences and parental influences. Each person’s values might be different yet neither is necessarily wrong. Personal morality is a collection of values, duties, actions and character traits each person adopts as pertinent for his or her own life, It is “who we are” as a distinctive moral being among others. (Purtillo, R. M., & Doherty, R., 2010, pg. 8). Cultural values of nursing in the United States have an emphasis on self-reliance and individualism, where “individuals have the ability to pull themselves up by the bootstraps” and that an individual’s rights are more important than a society’s (Available from Nursingworld website, 2012).
Professional morality encompasses moral duty, values, and character traits that do not apply evenly or at all to society. (Purtillo pg.10) The Code of Ethics as mandated by The American Nurses Association is the outline for ethical practice and morals in nursing. Today, the morality of the health profession should be rooted in the policies, customs and practices of health care institutions. This does work most of the time, but there will be times that the moralities will conflict. A moral compass is the key component to ethical decision making and practice for nurses’ .Moral duty and virtue
A Nurse's moral compass
Katherine McCready
Grand Canyon University
May 23, 2012
A Nurse's moral compass
Every person’s moral compass is based on honesty, responsibility and fairness. To this writer, a moral compass is anything which serves to direct a person’s conscience based on morals or virtues. First and foremost, morality is relational. It is concerned with associations between people and how they can best live in tranquility and agreement. The goal of morality is to defend a high value of life for the person and the community as a whole. Morality directs a person’s life; it is the core of all decisions, attitudes and goals. The process of being moral is developed from a person’s experiences and parental influences. Each person’s values might be different yet neither is necessarily wrong. Personal morality is a collection of values, duties, actions and character traits each person adopts as pertinent for his or her own life, It is “who we are” as a distinctive moral being among others. (Purtillo, R. M., & Doherty, R., 2010, pg. 8). Cultural values of nursing in the United States have an emphasis on self-reliance and individualism, where “individuals have the ability to pull themselves up by the bootstraps” and that an individual’s rights are more important than a society’s (Available from Nursingworld website, 2012).
Professional morality encompasses moral duty, values, and character traits that do not apply evenly or at all to society. (Purtillo pg.10) The Code of Ethics as mandated by The American Nurses Association is the outline for ethical practice and morals in nursing. Today, the morality of the health profession should be rooted in the policies, customs and practices of health care institutions. This does work most of the time, but there will be times that the moralities will conflict. A moral compass is the key component to ethical decision making and practice for nurses’ .Moral duty and virtue