Nursing Ethics A strong ethical component undergirds the nursing profession. Nurses have an express duty to care, and we are driven by the desire to help others. When completing the "My Nursing Ethic" questionnaire, I was asked to search for the roots of my passion and motivation. I was also asked to consider who or what inspires me, and to whom I am loyal. It is this latter question that becomes the most challenging, because nurses will often discover they have conflicting loyalties. Most of the ethical challenges I have encountered as a nurse stem from my grappling with conflicting roles, duties, and responsibilities.

Although we may try to cultivate objectivity, our background, beliefs, and worldviews prevent nurses from being completely unbiased in our approach. We are human beings, not robots. The personal, cultural, and spiritual values that have contributed to my worldview, and continue to do so, shape my philosophy of nursing. I believe that religion and spirituality are deeply personal, and I rarely share my beliefs with others. I was raised in a non-denominational household but nevertheless developed a strong spiritual identity. Drawn to prayer and meditation naturally, I have always respected the religions of others. When I work with religious patients from all backgrounds, I am more than happy to encourage them to explore the spiritual dimensions of their suffering and their goals in healing. Because religion and culture are closely connected, I have always found that patients...

As Winslow & Wehtje-Winslow (2007) point out, there is "mounting evidence that spirituality can be significant in patients' recovery from illness and the evidence that most patients want to have attention to their spirituality included in their health care," (p. 1). Thus, nurses have a responsibility to recognize the importance of spirituality by actively seeking patient input on the matter.
Spirituality is "invaluable" also in the construction of a core nursing ethic, providing the underpinnings for sound decision making (Trevizan, et al., 2004, p. 791). Decisions should be made consistently, and yet with sensitivity to the nuances and uniqueness of each patient and each caregiving decision. While my moral compass does include some absolute cardinal points, there is room for some flux and flexibility. Some of the toughest ethical dilemmas actually arise with my relationships with coworkers and administrators, as opposed to working directly with patients. Frequently I will clash with a supervisor or coworker on our views toward visible displays of patient faith, even when evidence does support the inclusion of faith within a whole-person system of care (Winslow & Wehtje-Winslow, 2007). Moreover, there are broad ethical conundrums that indirectly impact quality of care. I have often disagreed with some of the structural issues in American health care and hope that in…