Ethical grounding/Caring in nursing! Thought provoking thread!

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 16, 2005

I'll be interested in reading how people respond to this post. I got my PhD from UCHSC and took seminar classes with Watson, Reeder, and Gadow. I was considered a very good student.

And yet ... my mind locked when I read the question. Perhaps it's just too serious and complex to handle on a Friday evening. I was just checking for anything new and exciting on the allnurses site before starting to play online poker. I wasn't expecting something that reminded me of my preliminary exam!

You know ... I always questioned the inclusion of "ethical knowing" as one of the ways of knowing. I think the category should be broader to be of the same level of generality as the other 3 categories -- perhaps included under a category of "philosophical" ways of knowing. Ethics is a branch of philosophy, after all.

Oh well ... as I said, I'm not in the right frame of mind to address such philosophical questions. But I wanted to bump the thread along a little.

I'll think as I play poker and perhaps come up with something more profound to add.

Wish me luck,

llg

Mccm219 · Sep 17, 2005

Thank you for your response and judging from the number of them I have had, This may be a topic that's too philosophical for this forum.

Mccm219 · Sep 17, 2005

The ANA Code of ethics (ANA, 2001) specifically outlines the behaviors that should reflect all nurses' ethical and moral commitment to patients under their care. Caring as the foundation of nursing emphasizes accepting and knowing the patient, as you would know yourself in the moment of a nursing situation (Boykin & Schoenhofer, 2001) and protecting the human dignity and self-determination of patients, regardless of their medical condition (Gadow, 1989).

jnette, ASN, EMT-I · Sep 17, 2005

The ANA Code of ethics (ANA, 2001) specifically outlines the behaviors that should reflect all nurses' ethical and moral commitment to patients under their care. Caring as the foundation of nursing emphasizes accepting and knowing the patient, as you would know yourself in the moment of a nursing situation (Boykin & Schoenhofer, 2001) and protecting the human dignity and self-determination of patients, regardless of their medical condition (Gadow, 1989).

OK.. I'll bite. :)

As to the above statement... isn't this something we DO ??? Treat as I myself would wish to be treated?

Not so sure on the "knowing" part.... can't say we have the time to truly get to "know" our patients.. especially those in short hospital stays. Even then... as in my situation at dialysis where we get quite familiar with our patients over the years.. I cannot presume to truly "know" them or speak for them.

llg, PhD, RN · Sep 17, 2005

Hmmm... re-reading the original question ... there are actually 3 concepts there, not 2.

The first concept is the ethical way of knowing. As I said before, I've always had a problem with that one as I think it doesn't quite fit exactly with the other categories within Carper's schema. As ethics is a major branch of philosophy equal to epistomology (how we know things), to talk about an ethical way of knowing is philosophically messy.

Ignoring the philosophical messiness for a minute, I also have an issue with using epistomology as foundation for practice. Why pick epistomology? Why not ontology (the nature of things) ... or, if you think ethics is the key, then pick "ethics" as the foundation -- not the epistomological "ethical way of knowing." Do you see the difference? Pick ethics in its pure and complete form rather than the more convoluted "ethical way of knowing."

The second concept is caring. Maybe I'll think of something else to say about that concept later. It adds another conceptual layer between the ethics issues and the practice issues.

The third concept is advanced nursing practice. The ontological question of what it is would need to be addressed in order to explore the questions raised in and by the original post. Advanced practice is a different entitiy than basic practice: it has it's own identity, issues, etc. In fact, the various advanced practice roles each have their unique identities.

Hmmm.... I'll keep thinking and check back later. :-)

BTW ... I won a dollar last night, but lost it and a little more so far today.

llg