"He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him."
-Proverbs 18:13 ... I have become increasingly aware of the importance of listening and choosing my words wisely. In our program...(nursing profession), we spend a great deal of time reading, writing, and responding to others. This requires much patience and self-control, ... As a Christian, I realize the need to be very prudent with my words and NOT to offer advice without knowing the facts. It is also very important to us to be aware of ethics in nursing by the influence of our words (both spoken and written).
As a fan of social media, I often view postings presenting less than factual information. For nurses, this can be very detrimental to our credibility. For several years in a row, nursing profession has been judged as the most honest and ethical career. According to Gallup, 8 out of 10 Americans judged nurses to have "high" or "very high" ethical standards in nursing. This honor carries a large amount of responsibility. As medical professionals, we must be diligent to speak truthfully. If we make a comment or remark about a healthcare issue, we must make sure it is based on fact and not just our opinion.
This is true for many other issues, including politics and health. Too often, we take the words and advice of those unqualified to inform without seeking the truth for ourselves. This can have devastating consequences. There is nothing wrong with admitting we do not know something. It is much better to say, "I'm sorry, I don't know the answer."
No individual has all the answers and those who pretend to are delusional. We can always offer to help someone find the answer. After all, that is one of our jobs as nurses. As one of my very wise former-professors once said, "Passion is wonderful, but it must be an informed passion." I have given this a lot of thought. Many of us have nursing passions that drive us to speak out on certain issues. I continually remind myself to check my passions against the evidence. Am I adequately informed about my passions or am I just following an emotion or accepting the words of someone I trust? Neither is good enough.
As a nursing professional, if I am going to offer advice or information, it is my responsibility to check the facts and be informed. Otherwise, I need to keep my opinions to myself. As the verse in Proverbs reminds us, it is shameful for us to offer advice without knowing the facts. Ethics in nursing should be properly implemented and observed, both written and spoken to complete good and quality patient care.
http://www.nursetogether.com/ethics-in-nur...
Posted By: Jen Fad
Monday, July 29th 2013 at 3:09PM
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