Personal Values as a nurse

Libby1987 · Feb 28, 2016

I think maybe they mean, like, if you believe that murderers should also be put to death (which is a fairly common value, I think, though not one I personally share) then if you happen to assigned a murderer as a patient then you probably are going to have to put that particular value aside in order to provide this person with the best care possible. That's the typical scenario nursing school presents when what they're actually trying to say is "you're going to have to take care of people you don't like for whatever reason, so don't be a turd about it and do your job."

I don't think they need to be mutually exclusive. You can still believe in the death penalty while doing your job. You don't have to check that principle at the door. There's no reason to stop believing your patient should be receive capital punishment while delivering professional, courteous and excellent care.

The schools should be teaching, in my opinion, keep your values while developing another value which is, "It's wrong to rank and/or regard patients by our approval". Don't CHECK them, DEVELOP them.

It might seem like semantics but I don't think it is. We need to ask for emotional maturity and development, not stuffing and play acting.

Libby1987 · Feb 28, 2016

I like that.. (not homework- just thinking) do you think someone can be to nice? strange question .. but alot of my interactions so far my teachers feedback is that i hope or see a patient doing more then they are capable -- my values would be to try (especially in long term care) and give them as much as I can...Im being told i'm not being realistic. I think i'm going to have a hard time with being realistic.. to me that is kinda of a value of being me...do you think once i am nursing i will figure out balancing this out

Operate at realistic while aiming for idealistic. Don't become stagnant just because your idealism is seemingly out of reach. And don't let others' realities be yours. There isn't a ceiling, other than the self imposed. Experience alone will get you closer to idealistic performance. The key is to see it as a journey, not an end. You can be successful on the journey even when you don't arrive at the end.

joanna73, BSN, RN · Feb 28, 2016

Even the simplest of our values should be kept in check. For example, you believe that your patient needs to eat all of their meals. I have witnessed staff force feeding residents because they believe they should eat, but that person is done.

Medication is another. Your patient has an anti-hypertensive ordered. They are refusing. Provide some teaching, and if they still refuse, document. Instead, some people would rather argue with their patient.

We all have our values, but the patient's values need to direct their care.

nursingaround1 · Feb 28, 2016

Sometimes it involves recognising your own values that my interfere with giving a certain aspect of care, and learning to deal with it, which may even mean understanding your limits in what you're willing to do.

Julius Seizure · Feb 28, 2016

Even the simplest of our values should be kept in check. For example, you believe that your patient needs to eat all of their meals. I have witnessed staff force feeding residents because they believe they should eat, but that person is done.
Medication is another. Your patient has an anti-hypertensive ordered. They are refusing. Provide some teaching, and if they still refuse, document. Instead, some people would rather argue with their patient.
We all have our values, but the patient's values need to direct their care.

This is a good example. If you ask your patient what their goals are for the day or for their admission....are those goals the same as what you would have said? Who wins? How will you handle it?

Julius Seizure · Feb 28, 2016

Something that comes up often in my area of nursing is end of life issues. Often the family will say "do everything!" and the nursing staff gets frustrated because it is futile. What if they want their family member to have a trach and feeding tube so that they can be kept alive on a ventilator? And what if they never come visit, but keep saying that they want us to do "everything" to save the patient? Sometimes the nurses and providers feel like we are being forced to make the person suffer.

Sometimes we have to call the ethics committee to consult on a patient because of value conflicts like this.

Natasha, RN, BSN · Feb 28, 2016

For me, my personal values in my approach to care are the same values that I have for living my life in general: with integrity, honesty, remain ethical, and all encounters with others to be of a kind and caring nature. IMHO, it's how humans should relate to each other ALL THE TIME. Sadly, we know this is not the case

ChristiRN · Feb 29, 2016

I work in a Jewish home and I am Catholic. I do not understand their ways. Meat and dairy can not be served at the same meal and the list goes on and on. I may not understand or agree but I respect their values. Respect. It is key.

calivianya, BSN, RN · Feb 29, 2016

I don't think they need to be mutually exclusive. You can still believe in the death penalty while doing your job. You don't have to check that principle at the door. There's no reason to stop believing your patient should be receive capital punishment while delivering professional, courteous and excellent care.

I really don't think everyone is capable of this. This sort of behavior - being able to have one belief or opinion, but act in a professional manner anyway - seems like a rarity. People who can't do this call the people who can "fake" and "two-faced."

I have been called fake before for being able to be kind and polite with someone I really disliked. I call it growing up and becoming an adult, but that's just me.