This is often set in place by societal foundations, legal requirements, and moral expectations of a community or culture at large. Ethical knowledge is thus shared by large groups of people from the same community or culture. From a nursing perspective, there is "a unique set of values and a particular culture and practice that affects the ethical decision-making processes" that are often shared by a number of members within the nursing community at large (Chinn & Kramer, 2010, p 93). On the other hand, personal knowledge is unique and often comes from our own internalization of the independent experiences each individual witness throughout his or her life. This is much more internal and variant than ethical knowledge, where each individual has a different knowledge base founded from their own personal experiences. Thus, the research suggests that personal knowledge...

This is where the two differ most dramatically.
Overall, both are needed to gain the necessary knowledge to strive for success in nursing practice. It is clear that ethical considerations must be adhered to, both for the sanctity of knowing one is doing the right thing, but also to ensure that the modern nurse is upholding their oath of care. Yet, personal knowledge is a way to augment ethical knowledge. Personal knowledge can help a nurse go beyond mere ethical decisions and put into practice a strategy of care that is proven based on prior experiences.

References

Chinn, Peggy L. & Kramer, Maeona, K. (2010). Integrated Theory and Knowledge…