Personal Moral Compass: Nursing Personal moral compass

I belong to the Sikh religion. Early on in my upbringing, my parents instilled in me a sense of obligation to help others. This was an ethical obligation, and also part of the tenants of our faith. Even when our family was struggling, we still donated food, money, and clothes to those who were needier than ourselves. I believe that this sense of obligation to others is a critical component of nursing. It is what drove me to want to become a nurse and it is also demanded of the nurse each and every shift. Sometimes a nurse will feel tired and overwhelmed but she must still give 100% to each and every patient she sees. Nursing is not a job that can be dropped as soon as the clock reaches a certain hour. It requires a total commitment to the patient.

Personal, cultural, and spiritual values: My worldview and philosophy of nursing

My parents set the example I wish to follow in my work as a nurse: to be humble and truthful and to serve the community. I believe that charity is a fundamental obligation and this will guide the choice of the positions I select and the way in which I...

My essential philosophy of nursing is that it is a patient-focused profession. The nurse always puts the needs of the patient front and center, no matter what those needs may be. The nurse tries to understand the patient's needs, cultural values, and conception of wellness. She cannot assume that these conceptions are in harmony with her own: nursing is about listening to others and seeking to understand the perspective and worldview of the patient and the patient's caregivers.
Morals and ethical dilemmas

Of course, every nurse will experience conflicts in her work. For example, sometimes when a nurse is busy working back-to-back shifts, there is a conflict between the need to spend as much time as possible with a patient to give the patient comfort and the demand to get everything done in a timely fashion. There may also be ethical conflicts based upon culture: for example, a family may not want an elderly person or a small child to fully understand his or her condition while a nurse's ethics stress patient autonomy and the right for the patient to make decisions. In the first instance, I would try to…