Provision 2 of the Code of Ethics for Nurses states that the nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient (an individual, a family, a group, or a community) as the recipient of nursing and healthcare services (ANA, 2015). A nurse’s ability to fulfill her duty to the patient involves (but is not limited to) an oath to practice beneficence, nonmaleficence, fidelity, and a duty to self. Beneficence is the role of the nurse to do good by taking compassionate action to help others. Nonmaleficence is the core of nursing ethics and involves the avoidance of causing any harm or hurt to patients and others involved in the deliverance of health care. Fidelity is a duty to loyalty, fairness, dedication, and truthfulness in order to maintain the nurse’s
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The pressures of her divorce and cocaine drug dependency are not actions of a nurse who maintained her self-care and personal integrity. Temple’s drug usage while on duty and actions of neglect (inappropriately delegating her duties to Nurse Boise while she sleeps and sleeping instead of performing patient care) are misaligned with the principles of fidelity, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. Drug use puts both the nurse and patient at risk for harm while the offender is not in the natural and competent state of mind to make sound decisions and judgment. Temple also breaches her duty to fidelity by asking Nurse Boise to keep her drug dependency a secret and inappropriately delegates her duties to her patients to Nurse Boise while she takes personal time as a result of the drug use. Nurse Boise breaches her ethical stance as a nurse when she knowingly promises to keep the drug use of Nurse Temple a secret knowing that her decision put both the patient and those in the workplace at risk to be harmed or hurt. While Nurse Temple has not knowingly harmed or hurt anyone from her unethical actions, she should self report her actions to the appropriate person in the workplace so that she can receive that aid she needs before her negligent actions become harmful. Temple should remove herself from the workplace until her competency, integrity, and wholeness of character are restored. Nurse Boise should act on integrity and report Nurse Temple’s actions to the appropriate person in the workplace so that the appropriate measures can be taken to protect both Nurse Temple and the patients from harm. The aims of restitution should be to protect both the patient and Nurse Temple from harm while maintaining the community and balance of the
The pressures of her divorce and cocaine drug dependency are not actions of a nurse who maintained her self-care and personal integrity. Temple’s drug usage while on duty and actions of neglect (inappropriately delegating her duties to Nurse Boise while she sleeps and sleeping instead of performing patient care) are misaligned with the principles of fidelity, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. Drug use puts both the nurse and patient at risk for harm while the offender is not in the natural and competent state of mind to make sound decisions and judgment. Temple also breaches her duty to fidelity by asking Nurse Boise to keep her drug dependency a secret and inappropriately delegates her duties to her patients to Nurse Boise while she takes personal time as a result of the drug use. Nurse Boise breaches her ethical stance as a nurse when she knowingly promises to keep the drug use of Nurse Temple a secret knowing that her decision put both the patient and those in the workplace at risk to be harmed or hurt. While Nurse Temple has not knowingly harmed or hurt anyone from her unethical actions, she should self report her actions to the appropriate person in the workplace so that she can receive that aid she needs before her negligent actions become harmful. Temple should remove herself from the workplace until her competency, integrity, and wholeness of character are restored. Nurse Boise should act on integrity and report Nurse Temple’s actions to the appropriate person in the workplace so that the appropriate measures can be taken to protect both Nurse Temple and the patients from harm. The aims of restitution should be to protect both the patient and Nurse Temple from harm while maintaining the community and balance of the