Threading Ethics Into a Graduate Curriculum

Threading Ethics into a Graduate Curriculum
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I Narrative Paper Ethics       Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with moral principles, values and motivations that guide human behaviour in decision-making (Haddad & Geiger., 2022). Fundamentally, it involves the process of thinking and reflection to determine what is right or wrong. Ethical values are universal rules of conduct that provide a practical basis for identifying what kind of actions, intention, and motives are valued. In the context of nursing, ethics is an inherent and inseparable part of clinical medicine as the physician has an ethical obligation (i) to benefit the patient, (ii) to avoid or minimize harm, and to (iii) respect the values and preferences of the patient (Varkey, 2021). Ethics should be taught to student nurses for several reasons. First, it helps nurses to provide patient-centred care (Ekman, 2022). The subject of nursing ethics revolves around caring and advocating for the well-being of patients. It also helps nurses to make sound decisions in the face of ethical dilemmas. In practice, nurses face ethical dilemmas that need balancing of conflicting interests, need to respect autonomy and confidentiality, how to navigate cultural and religious considerations etc. Ethics help nurses to create and develop a framework to navigate these issues professionally, morally and within the provisions of the law (Haddad & Geiger., 2022). Thirdly, ethics help nurses to maintain the highest levels of professionalism. Ethics help nurses to make appropriate decisions when they are addressing ethical issues that have a direct or indirect impact on patient safety such as medication errors, informed consent, end of life care etc. Fourthly, nurses have a code of ethics that has been developed by their respective licensing bodies. Nurses are required to learn, understand and adhere to the code of ethics for their licensure. Finally, nurses are expected to learn about ethics because it teaches critical and ethical reasoning. Nurses need to be able to analyze and evaluate issues from multiple perspectives and consider their consequences and weigh the implications of each action versus the related consequence to deliver patient centred care and improve healthcare outcomes (Kieft, Brouwer, Francke, & Delnoij, 2014). Threading ethics into nurses’ training helps a holistic approach to the discipline. Students are able to understand how ethics is interwoven with all the other aspects of nursing and how they relate to real world clinical scenarios. It is an essential component of all nursing practice (Hemberg & Hemberg, 2020). Secondly, nursing programs are designed to provide a comprehensive education that includes not only clinical skills but also critical thinking, leadership, and professionalism (Papathanasiou, et al., 2014). Incorporating nursing ethics within the broader nursing curriculum helps nursing students develop a well-rounded skill set that encompasses both clinical and ethical aspects of nursing practice. Therefore, this is an important skill for professionals who are involved in the business of alleviating pain...