Ethical Nursing Care: Scope of Practice for Registered Nurses

Introduction

Those who are in the world of nursing hear a lot about ethical care and its importance for the registered nurses. So, here is this blog in which you will find out what is ethical nursing and you will learn the scope of practice of registered nurses as well. When you understand these concepts then you can provide the best care to the patients that will come to you for the treatment..

I. Defining Ethical Nursing Care

A. What is Ethical Nursing Care?

It is important for you that you know what ethical nursing care is. In simple words, it means that you being the nurse are doing the right thing for your patients. There are some principles that guide nurses. These are:

• Autonomy: in this you have to respect the patient’s right to make their own choices. In other words, if you were a patient in the hospital then you would want the treatment according to you. This is what you want and is your choice and you will want others to respect it.
• Beneficence: This means that being a nurse you have to do good things  for the patients. Nurses work to improve the health and symptoms of the patients.
• Non-maleficence: the word sounds fancy. So, the meaning of this word is to not do any harm. It is important for the nurses to avoid actions that can hurt the patients.
• Justice: As the word tells you. It is about being fair. It means that every patient should get the same care and the same treatment in the hospital from the nurses and the doctor.. There should be no injustice with any of the human beings in the hospital.

B. Importance of Ethics in Nursing Practice

Ethics are so very important in the nursing career as you know that it helps people or patients to have trust in their nurses. When the patients know and see themselves that their nurses are doing the best they can for them then they will feel safe and comfortable. This helps them to recover as well.

II.  Scope of Practice for RNs

A. What is it and Why is it Important:

Now it is time to talk about definition and importance of scope of practice. This is like a set of rules in a book that tells what registered nurses can do and can not do. It also outlines the legal and professional boundaries for nurses. When as a nurse you know these rules then it is important for you because it will not only help you understand your responsibilities and roles, but nursing assignment will also be done properly..

B. Components of the Scope of Practice

There are some important components that make up the scope of practice. They are:

• Clinical Skills: Registered nurses or RNs are trained in a special way that lets them perform different medical procedures. So Some of them can be taking blood pressure or giving injections to the patients who need them.
• Patient Assessment: The job of nursing also includes that they are able to figure out what their patients need without the patients telling them.
• Collaboration: The Rns have to work with different healthcare professionals. Like doctors, therapists, etc. they have to work with these people in a team to help the patients get healthy.

III. Key Ethical Issues in Nursing

A. Patient Autonomy and Informed Consent

The most important ethical issue out of other issues is that being in nursing, you have to respect patient autonomy. In other words, you can say that the patients should have the choice to make their own medical decisions. Nurses can help them  by giving all the information a patient needs. This lets the patient make a wise decision for themselves. So,  if you are working on writing nursing assignments, then you need to think about how you will share the important information to your patients.

B. Confidentiality and Privacy

Confidentiality and privacy is very important if you want your nursing job to be safe and protected. It also helps the patients to trust their nurses and the treatment they are doing for them to recover. Also, it creates a comfortable environment.

C. Ethical Dilemmas in Practice

There are times when the nurses have to face tough and difficult ethical dilemmas. Such as some patients might not want the treatment that could save their life. Then in such a situation, the nurses have to think very very carefully and discuss the situation with their team. Also, it is important that as a nurse you list down all the options and choose the best one for your patient.

IV. Legal Considerations in Nursing Ethics

A. Overview of Nursing Regulations and Laws

When you are in nursing you have one more job that you are understanding  the nursing laws as well. All the states in the world really have a board of nursing rules that all the registered nurses have to follow. These rules are there so that the nurses and the patients both can be safe and protected from any bad things. I can give you an idea if you want nursing assignment help, then you can write this information in your nursing assignment.

B. Implications of Violating Ethical and Legal Standards

These rules are really very important. If a nurse breaks these rules then there are serious consequences that they have to face. This means that they can lose their nursing license. So, you can take it as a reminder if you are a nurse that you should stay within the scope of practice and make ethical decisions every day.

V. Tips to take ethical decisions in Nursing

A. Tips for Ethical Decision-Making

When as a nurse you have to face tough things then you can use an ethical decision making framework. This will help you in the process of making the decisions that are ethical.

• Utilitarianism: You should see and focus only on the outcome so that you can get the benefit for everyone.
• Deontology: here you have to concentrate on rules and duties of yours as a nurse.
• Virtue Ethics: make sure that you carefully assess the character and intentions of the person who is making the decision.

B. Collaborative Approaches

When you talk to other nurses then you can figure out things and handle situations in a better way. When you hear about their experiences or share yours with them, you can get some valuable insight for the future.

VII. Conclusion

To conclude things up, you should understand ethical nursing care. Also, every registered nurse or RNs should understand that scope of practice is very important. It helps you give better care and service to your patients.