Legal and Ethical Requirements in Practical Nursing
This paper examines the professional responsibilities that shape the practice of practical nursing, tracing the field's evolution from simple registry laws in the 1900s to a formally governed profession requiring licensure and adherence to established standards. The paper outlines key ethical requirements—including professional obligations, patient confidentiality, and professional relationships—alongside legal requirements such as compliance with standards of care, scope of practice boundaries, and the nurse-patient relationship. It also identifies three primary methods by which practical nurses can participate in their profession: continuing education, professional socialization, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Together, these elements reflect the complexity and responsibility inherent in modern nursing practice.
- Introduction: Evolution of Nursing Practice: Historical development of nursing as formal profession
- Ethical Requirements of Practical Nursing: Code of Ethics, confidentiality, and professional obligations
- Legal Requirements of Practical Nursing: Standards of care, scope of practice, nurse-patient relationship
- Methods of Participating in the Practical Nurse Profession: Continuing education, socialization, and interdisciplinary collaboration
- Conclusion: Summary of legal, ethical, and participatory responsibilities
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What makes this paper effective
- Clearly delineates between ethical and legal dimensions of nursing practice, preventing conceptual overlap and helping the reader distinguish two commonly conflated frameworks.
- Grounds abstract professional concepts in concrete examples, such as patient confidentiality and the nurse-patient relationship, making the content accessible and practically relevant.
- Maintains a logical, cumulative structure — moving from historical context, through ethical and legal requirements, to active methods of professional participation — giving the argument clear directional momentum.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of categorical organization: rather than blending related ideas, it separates ethical requirements, legal requirements, and participation methods into distinct sections. This approach signals analytical clarity and allows the reader to evaluate each category independently before considering how they interact in practice.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a historical overview of nursing's evolution to establish context and justify the significance of the topic. Two parallel body sections then address ethical and legal requirements respectively, each structured around enumerated sub-points. A shorter section follows on professional participation methods. The conclusion synthesizes all three body sections with brief restatements, reinforcing the paper's main claims without introducing new information.
Introduction: Evolution of Nursing Practice
The practice of nursing has continued to evolve over the years given rapid societal changes, the emergence of new diseases, and constant technological developments. Since the 1900s, when nursing practice was characterized by simple registry laws and mere listing of trained practitioners, the field has experienced significant evolution in attempts to meet the ever-changing needs of patients and enhance their outcomes. Currently, nursing practice is a formal discipline governed by specific standards and requiring professional licensure (Kjervik & Brous, 2010). This evolution has also been characterized by changing and expanding roles for nurses, as well as the classification of nurses into different categories based on their education and licensure. The development of the nursing profession has further contributed to the emergence of legal and ethical requirements to ensure that all nursing activities focus on enhancing patient outcomes and meeting public health needs.
Ethical Requirements of Practical Nursing
Ethics play an important role in the nursing field to such an extent that policymakers and healthcare facilities have established a Code of Ethics to govern practice. The Code of Ethics provides the values and commitments of nurse practitioners with regard to meeting healthcare needs when interacting with patient populations. The significance of ethics in the practice of practical nursing is also attributable to the fact that these professionals face many dilemmas, since the nature of their work is centered on making life-and-death decisions.
Some of the ethical requirements in practical nursing include professional obligations, maintenance of patient confidentiality, and professional relationships. With regard to professional obligations, nurses are required to demonstrate their competency when carrying out duties in patient care. Patient confidentiality involves protecting the patient's right to privacy and utilizing patient information for care processes only. Nurses are also required to maintain professional relationships with other members of the healthcare team, such as physicians and co-workers (Ward, 2012). Additionally, nurses must adhere to the various ethical principles that govern the care delivery process and all healthcare activities.
Conclusion
Nursing practice has continued to evolve over the years due to various influences, including the changing needs of patient populations. The evolution of practical nursing has generated legal and ethical requirements as well as new methods of participation in this field. The legal requirements of practical nursing include the need to comply with standards of care, creation of a suitable nurse-patient relationship, and demonstrating competence within the scope of practice. The ethical requirements include professional obligations, maintenance of patient confidentiality, establishment of professional relationships, and compliance with ethical principles. The methods of participating in the practice of practical nursing — continuing education, professional socialization, and interdisciplinary collaboration — collectively support a profession that is equipped to meet the demands of modern healthcare.
References
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (n.d.). Hallmarks of the professional nursing practice environment. Retrieved from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing website:
Kjervik, D. K., & Brous, E. A. (2010). Law and ethics in advanced practice nursing. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Ward, J. (2012, August 31). Ethics in nursing: Issues nurses face. Retrieved April 10, 2017, from http://www.nursetogether.com/ethics-nursing-issues-nurses-face
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