Advanced Practice Leadership From an Ethic of Care, Research Paper Example

Ethic of Care Versus Ethic of Justice

An ethic of care is represented by nurses who exercise sound and reasonable judgment in treating their patients in a timely manner and on a routine basis, and this reflects the work of advanced practice nurses at a high level (Lawrence & Maitlis, 2012). Nurses are trained to promote professional accountability and responsibility in the practice environment; therefore, they must acknowledge their roles in aiming towards ethical decision-making at all times (Grace, 2013). Furthermore, nurses must recognize that social justice must also be considered as part of the practice setting and represent an understanding of inequality among social groups within the context of modern healthcare (Woods, 2012). At the advanced practice level, nurses are trained to support an environment where social equality is instrumental in the plan of care and that inequality is an unacceptable premise, in spite of indications to make this process very difficult for nurses to execute, including financial conditions (Hall, Brinchmann, & Aagaard, 2012).

Ethic of Care Perspective

The dilemmas that nurses face regarding ethics of care require their full focus and sound judgment to make positive decisions that will impact their patients at a high level. This reflects a need to evaluate how nurses make decisions on behalf of their patients and whether or not they represent the most ethically responsible choices to accommodate their treatment needs at the highest possible level; therefore, nurses must learn how to manage these decisions effectively and balance them against other needs (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2013).

Conclusion

Advanced practice nursing requires the knowledge and resources necessary to improve outcomes for patients. This is an important step in making ethically responsible decisions to support patients and to recognize the steps that are required to ensure that all patients receive equal treatment and are given the respect that they deserve while under a nurse’s care. This also reflects the importance of understanding the dynamics of nursing care and to determine what is required to improve conditions for patients across all population groups.

References

Burkhardt, M., & Nathaniel, A. (2013). Ethics and issues in contemporary nursing. Cengage Learning.

Grace, P. J. (2013). Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.

Hall, E. O., Brinchmann, B. S., & Aagaard, H. (2012). The challenge of integrating justice and care in neonatal nursing. Nursing ethics, 19(1), 80-90.

Lawrence, T. B., & Maitlis, S. (2012). Care and possibility: Enacting an ethic of care through narrative practice. Academy of Management Review, 37(4), 641-663.

Woods, M. (2012). Exploring the relevance of social justice within a relational nursing ethic. Nursing Philosophy, 13(1), 56-65.