Verified Document

Basic Nursing Virtues Nursing Research Paper

Nursing: Nursing Virtues Nursing Virtues: Nursing

Nursing Virtues

Virtues can be defined simply as the habits of character that predispose persons to do what is right and moral. In the nursing profession, virtues are the habits that promote and affirm the values of independence, health, respect, well-being, and human dignity. Four virtues have been shown to be central to the nursing profession and its practice: compassion, humility, courage and integrity. Nurses are expected to conduct themselves within the provisions of these four virtues at all times. Elizabeth Pask's article, 'Self-sacrifice, Self-transcendence, and Nurses' Professional Self' demonstrates perfectly how nurses can be guided by these four virtues to make the right decisions when faced with difficult circumstances in their practice. The subsequent sections detail how each of these four virtues influence an individual's practice, and what a nurse leader could do to support the growth of virtues and enable nurses fulfill their moral and ethical obligations.

Compassion: Compassion can be defined as the ability to empathize with another person, and be moved to do something to help remedy the situation (Crigger & Godfrey, 2011). This virtue of compassion forms the basis of care -- nursing care is all about developing an emotional responsiveness towards one's patients, and committing oneself to help them (Crigger & Godfrey, 2011). Compassion drives...

Nurses are required to act with compassion and to affectively feel with their patients at all times; the virtue of compassion drives them to look away from their ego self and commit to something that is of greater importance than the self, that is, the well-being of their patient (Pask, 2005).
Integrity: the virtue of integrity has to do with being moral and acting in the best interest of the patient at all times. Integrity should not be compromised just because a nurse emphasizes with or feels compassion for their patient. Crigger and Godfrey (2011) give an example of an ethical dilemma where a nurse is caught between showing compassion and acting with integrity. In this example, a nurse feels empathy for their patient, who has been legally separated from her children because of addiction issues. She feels compassion and is driven by the need to help her get her family back; however, she opts not to because that would not be in the patient's best interest. What is best for the patient in this situation is to allow herself the time and composure needed to recover before she can embark on the stresses associated with family. This is a perfect demonstration of how the virtue of integrity drives nurses' actions…

Sources used in this document:
References

Crigger, N. & Godfrey, N. (2010). The Making of Nurse Professionals: A Transformational, Ethical Approach. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Pask, E. J. (2005). Self-Sacrifice, Self-Transcendence, and Nurses' Professional Self. Nursing Philosophy, 6(4), 247-254.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Virtue Ethics
Words: 2341 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

virtues the proper starting point for ethical theory? The debate about virtue ethics Main issues Critical analysis of virtue ethics criticism Virtues should be the starting point for ethical theory This paper revolves around the question that whether or not virtues are an appropriate starting point for ethical theory. I have presented the main criticism on virtue ethics theory followed by the defense of this theory by renowned virtue ethicists. There are three main

Nursing Ethics in the Late 20th and
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Nursing Ethics In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, medical technology has advanced enough to provide certain measures to keep the body "alive," but not necessarily the brain or the cognitive functions that make up quality of life (O'Keefe-McCarthy, 2009). Despite the fact that death is a cyclical part of life, humans still have a very difficult time dealing with issues surrounding terminal illness: hospice, do not resuscitate, costs for

Nursing Knowledge Patterns of Knowing in Nursing
Words: 839 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Nursing Knowledge Patterns of Knowing in Nursing There is a great abundance of information available to us in the universe. Every second, we are bombarded with thousands if not millions of tiny facts arriving through the unbidden working of our sensory organs, each of which is quietly and usually subconsciously processed by the brain; active study engages other parts of our grey matter, and quickly creates a store of facts and associations;

Nursing - Nursing Philosophy Nursing
Words: 1167 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Critics of holistic nursing have occasionally insinuated that holism is somehow incompatible with evidence-based practice such as that which underlies the Magnet standards. That is truly unfortunate. Holistic concerns in nursing are more than merely "compatible" with an evidence-based perspective; in fact, the holistic emphasis is an expansion of available treatment modalities that has been demonstrated empirically to bolster clinical success rather than competing with it or contradicting it (Stetler,

Nursing - Reflective Statement Moral
Words: 538 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Beyond taxation, requiring wealthier individuals to pay directly for health services of the less fortunate violates some of the most basic moral rights of personal sovereignty as well as various fundamental constitutional rights of due process and equal protection. However, there are other approaches to equalizing healthcare availability that do not require involuntary financial contribution of some citizens to finance the medical services of others. One of the most important

Nursing Is a Science, an Art, or
Words: 920 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

nursing is a science, an art, or both. There are three references used for this paper. The nursing profession has seen a number of changes over the years. When nursing first began it was mainly an art form aimed at easing the pain of the sick and injured. However, during the past century, nurses have learned not only the art of healing, but how to properly care for wounds and illnesses

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now