Ethics Paper Essay Example for Free
Ethical codes are reflections of morally permissible standards of conduct used by nursing practitioners to make binding agreements upon and to solve anticipated ethical conflicts. They are a complex system of methods, rules or principles that govern morality and acceptable behavior in the nursing profession. Ethical Codes serve the purpose of increasing ethical sensitivity and judgment, strengthens support for individuals’ moral courage, and helps to perfect the sense of identity in nursing. Various ethical codes include ; International Council of Nurses (ICN) Code of Ethics for Nurses, Code of Ethics of the American Mental Health Counselors Association revised in 2000 (AHMCA), and the American College of Healthcare Executives (AMCHE).
Internal Council for Nurses (ICN) is one of the first and widest reaching international organizations for health professionals globally. “The ICN when fully operated by nurses provides guidance for decision making and used to foster a more ethics based work place by allowing nurses to be consistent in their actions and educate others about their actions of performance” . and leading nurses internationally, the values of ICN are largely focused to ensuring quality nursing care for every individual, overall sound health policies globally, as well as, the advancement of nursing knowledge, and the availability of worldwide expertise of respected nursing profession with a competent and satisfied nursing workforce.
According to AMHCA Code of Ethics it states that “in the event that the client is a minor or possesses disabilities that would prohibit informed consent” . Thus, the AMHCA values embody the commitment to dignify the worth of clients. Mental health practitioners are to be committed to advancing human behavior and understanding as well as others. In order to achieve this, mental health practitioners are charged with the role of making substantial moves to protect the welfare of those who seek their medical services, or of particular objects that are subject to nursing. These values should enable the mental practitioners to utilize their skills appropriately, and avoid misuse by other people. Thus, the medical practitioners should work towards ensuring their individual freedom of making inquiries and that of the community. As observed by mental health practitioners and counselors, this particular Ethical Code provides freedom of inquiry and that of the clients as well. Freedom allows for competence hence, mental healthy practitioners will observe the rights of their clients, welfare, confidentiality, pursuit of research activities, competence, supervisees, the relationship between a student and an employee, professional responsibility, public statements, resolutions of ethical problems, utilization of assessments techniques, consulting, professional relationships, moral and legal standards, private practice, and finally, internet and on-line counseling. Third, the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Code of Ethics focuses on serving as a standard of conduct for affiliates. It comprises of standards of ethical norms in nursing profession for healthcare executives in their professional relations with stakeholders, such as colleagues, clients and the whole society that they serve. In my personal view, the values of these ethical codes are connected since their main focus are to ensure personal respect and to clients, maintain honesty, provide fair and equitable treatment to everyone, accept moral and intellectual responsibility, the need to achieve equality, and deal with conflict resolution
In conclusion, the values are based on maintaining the overall quality client’s life, dignity and well being that depends on the healthcare service and to pave way for a more effective, efficient, equitable and accessible healthcare system. With regards to these values, nursing ethical code enables health executives to be responsible because they are obliged to practice in a manner that will lead to trust and confidence among the clients they serve and contributes to respect to the healthcare practitioners and the society in general. Consequently, the identified ethical codes have related values focused on ensureing exemplary system of moral norms, values and ethics in nursing.