Nurses are known as patient advocates. In advocating for their patients, nurses strive for what is best in their patient’s care. Since nurses will be…
Not only does the nurse have a legal obligation to advocate for the patient, but an ethical one as well. Statement three in the ANA code of ethics mandates that: “The nurse promotes, advocates for, and…
As patient advocate it is said to be one of the main if not the most important role of nursing. This role entails protecting the rights and what is best medically for the patient. For instance when a patient is sick and is unable to act as they normally would. Thus, it is the responsibility of the nurse to determine what a patient wants.…
The client Miguel Poor was referred to my office from Veteran Affairs. The Veteran Affairs Representative provided background information pertaining to the client. The client is unable to utilize any Benefits from the Veterans Affairs Office due to his discharge status; hence the referral to an out-of-network therapist. The client was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Marine Corps in 2002 for disclosing his sexual orientation. The client reported to his commanding officers that he identified as gay and further identified as pre-op transgender.…
"Understanding a patients individual needs and perception of health issues is fundamental to implementing a treatment plan with successful outcomes".(p.144) Communication is a very important aspect through the nurse and patient. It 's…
2002. A critical review of the arguments debating the role of the nurse advocate. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 37(5) 439-445. [Online]…
According to, “The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics”, this document sets standards for nurses. It exemplifies the role of the nurse and duties to be maintained. For instance, patient advocacy is an important factor to the code of ethics. Patient safety is to be a primary goal for the nurse. I believe this is crucial for all nurses to practice. Individuals in the hospital are not necessarily capable of always expressing their needs. Therefore, it is the nurses responsibility to advocate for the patient during times they cannot. For example, one time I was caring for a patient who did not understand their diagnosis. A team of residents came into this person’s room and overwhelmed them with information. Confused, the patient was unable to understand the complexity of the illness. However, I witnessed the nurse advocating for her patient. She stepped in as a voice, making sure the patient’s questions were answered before they left. For a patient it can be quite intimidating when a group of doctors come in talking about a disease process they have never encountered. So, it was satisfying to see the nurse advocate for the patient.…
Advocacy is important at all level of nursing. Advocacy is fundamental for the nursing profession's political power. With political power we can change policies, laws, and regulations and shape both the nursing practice and the work environment. As APRN we should advocate about issues that most affect our practice, our community, the public health, and the social justice. This involves knowing the laws and regulations that govern our practice acts and knowing the process of creating health policy.…
Nursing is a challenging, rewarding and exciting career. The nurse 's role is not limited to changing bandages, giving needles and offering support, as the past has indicated. The role of the modern nurse is one of advocate, caregiver, teacher, researcher, counselor, and case manager. The caregiver role includes those activities that assist the client physically and psychologically while preserving the client 's dignity (Kozier, Erb, & Blais, 1997, p.129). In order for a nurse to be an effective caregiver, the patient must be treated as whole. Patient advocacy is another role that the modern nurse assumes when providing quality care. Advocacy is defined as the active support of an important cause, supporting…
In my context with the patient, it is important for me to improve the nurse-patient relationship. In this relationship, there is a sense of trust and a mutual understanding exists between a nurse and a patient that build in a special link of the relationship (Harkreader and Hogan, 2004). (Peplau 1952, cited in Harkreader and Hogan 2004) note that a good contact in a relationship builds trust as well as would raise the patient’s self-esteem which could lead to new personal growth for the patient. Besides, (Ruesch 2007) mention the purpose of the therapeutic communication is to improve the patient’s ability to function. So in order to establish a nurse-patient interaction, a nurse must show up caring, sincerity, empathy and trustworthiness (Kathol, 2003). Those attitudes could be expressed by promoting the effective communication and relationships by the implementation of interpersonal skills. Johnson (2008) define the interpersonal skills is the total ability to communicate effectively with other people.…
"The definition of patient advocacy is still confusing, and there is no consensus about its meaning among nurses and nurse authors" (Bu & Jezewski, 2006, p. 102). Today, many nurses have a limited view of what patient advocacy is and how to perform the challenging task of protecting and supporting patinets'rights. Greater clarity about the concept of patient advocacy is needed within the nursing field in order to improve practice.…
There are four elements of ethical issues regarding patient care such as, attentiveness, responsibility, competence and responsiveness. Attentiveness involves nurses being able to recognize the needs of the patient and their families. The development of a close relation between nursing staff and patient through receptibility helps the nurses to be receptive to what the patients need. A nurse has the responsibility to care for their patients and be a support system for their patient. A nurse must exhibit competence while caring for their patients. Nurses must be able to provide individual care. They are obligated to provide care of a patient based on their physical needs, psychological, cultural and religious needs of the patients and their families. Nurses have a duty to ensure that the patients’ needs are being met. If the patient is responding to the nurse in a positive to the treatment that is received. The American Nurse Associations’ provision 3 states that a nurse advocates for the patient, promotes and protects the rights, their health and safety for the patient. Nurses are held accountable and responsible for making good decisions to provide the best care for the patient (American Nurse Association, 2015). Facilities that…
The nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice; makes decisions; and takes action consistent with the obligation to promote health and to provide optimal care.…
In a profession where others' health and well-being are priority, there leaves room for neglect of those who are delegated to care for these people. As a professional nurse, there are many obstacles that arise and affect the care provided to a patient, as well as the livelihood of the nurse. The current deteriorating and unsafe staffing conditions in hospitals and other institutions prompts workplace advocacy as the universally appropriate concept for maintaining professional nursing practice. The Arkansas Nurses Association and the Louisiana State Nurses Association define workplace advocacy as a planned, organized system of services and resources designed to support the professional nurse in the workplace (White Paper on Workplace Advocacy, 1997). It provides nurses with the knowledge and skills to use a range of strategies to ensure their voice and involvement in nursing practice and workplace decisions. "The ethical norms of the profession, Standards of Clinical Nursing Practice, and nurse practice acts validate the nurse's professional obligation to provide quality care and protect clients and families" as stated by the Arkansas Nurses Association and the Louisiana State Nurses Association in the White Paper on Workplace Advocacy (1997).…
The nurse and nursing student should always advocate for their patients. My Patient daughter told me that her father was having pain around his inguinal area. I asked the patient to evaluate his pain on a scale of 0 to 10. The patient reported a pain level of 7 on a scale of 0 to 10. I immediately notified to the nurse, and she came in with his PRN pain medication and asked him to evaluate his pain and he said 7 on a scale of 0 to 10. Based on his pain scale the nurse gave him his pain medication. In this situation, I tried to be the patient’s advocate and make sure that patient was problem solved.…