This assignment is going to look at the professional code of conduct for nurses and how ethical principles influence the Code.

Authors Avatar

                                                                           

Assignment 1- Code of Conduct

This assignment is going to look at the professional code of conduct for nurses and

how ethical principles influence the Code. Discuss some dilemma (s) that can be

encounter by nurse during their course of work and the assignment will describe how

this code, is linked with some ethical models.

The Code of Conduct is a set of rules and regulations for a particular work place or organisation. The Code of Conduct for nurses is set by the Nursing and Midwifery Councils, which briefly states; as a registered nurse you are personally responsible for actions and mistakes in your practice you  must always be able to justify your decision, must always act according to the law whether those laws relates to your personal life or professional practice, you must respect your client as an individual                                      and protect confidential information ()

 

Moonie et al, (2000), states that Ethics are the moral codes that form the grounds for decision making and therefore the performance workers in a given profession. An ethical dilemma comes up when two or more of the morals in the ethical values conflict ()

The dilemma that is going to be discussed is about teenage pregnancy. Nurse Mary had just finished a phone call, when someone knocked on her office door. Standing in the door was Emma, a 14 year old girl. She looked a bit scared but resolute after some minutes of hope from Nurse Mary, that everything was alright, and that Emma could tell her anything, the girl opened up. She told the nurse that she and her boyfriend, who was sixteen years old, were sexually active and she wanted contraception but she did not want her parents to know about it. Mary informed her that it was actually illegal for her boyfriend to have sexual intercourse with her. Emma replied that this was a confidential discussion so Mary could not tell anyone and that she was only there because she did not want to become pregnant. Mary informed Emma that having sexual intercourse at an early age could lead to increased risk of getting cervical cancer and that contraceptives did not protect against sexual transmitted diseases (Bartter, 2001). But this did not put Emma off, who was firm in her decision Mary, who is committed by the part of the code of conduct that states that she must respect people’s right to confidentiality, can not inform Emma’s parents, although she is under age.

Join now!

The ethical dilemma in this scenario is whether the nurse should prescribe the contraceptive or not. Faced with this ethical dilemma, nurse Mary has to decide which of the possible options would be the right actions to take and how the choice of this action over any other can be justified. She might find that her legal and moral responsibilities are in conflict, but she is bound by the code of conduct that says; she must treat people as individuals and respect their dignity, she must not discriminate in any way against those in her care, she must treat ...

This is a preview of the whole essay