Ethical Values Of Nursing Case Study 2022

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WHAT
The scenario that is presented here is one in which I as a nursing student had gone for my
placement in a busy urban hospital.in the course of my duties, I found myself in a situation in
which I was asked by the registered nurse in charge to recap a needle right after administering
the injection. This is totally against what I had learnt in my course work which advises that the
needle should be placed in a kidney dish and disposed immediately ( Blais 2015). I was therefore
torn between respecting the command of the superior nurse or sticking to the ethical values that I
was taught by my professors. ( Cahnmann-Taylor, and Siegesmund, 2017). I was hesitant in
recapping the needle as instructed and this led to the registered nurse shouting at me after several
occasions of trying to tell me to recap it. I got tensed up and in a flash of a moment, I tried to
recap the needle but in the process I ended up pricking my left thumb. This action is dangerous
as it may lead to contracting of a disease from the person that was being given the injection. The
registered nurse in the end blamed me for what had happened and asks to remove the blood of
the patient in order to establish if there is any form of disease that I may have contracted.
SO WHAT
I was in shock and dismay to the fact that the registered nurse could ask me to recap the
needle which was against the normal procedures. This is due to the fact that I did not expect that
a qualified person such as the registered nurse could decide to conduct himself in a non-
professional manner and in total disregard of the ethical procedures when it comes to the
administration and disposal of injection needles. The ethical complexity in this case is the fact
that the nurse lacked integrity and professionalism in the disposal of the needle. The nurse is
bound by the ethical values of the profession to ensure that she observes integrity in the cause of

her work. The nurse encouraged the use of unethical practice which goes against the ethical
values of nursing. The action was also against the legal requirements which dictate that she
should conduct herself in a professional manner in the discharge of her duties. The failure to
comply with this may result in the nurse being suspended from her duties. The action also put the
patient at risk due to the unethical practice and the lack of respect to the patient .the patient is the
most important person who should be respected and thus the practices that are done in relation to
him should observe the ethical values required. The situation therefore created a legal and ethical
complexity as the necessary values and legal expectations were completely disregarded ( Avery,
2016).This was either a pure case of ignorance of the required ethical standards or just a case of
wanting to hurriedly do away with the needle without following the right procedure. My
response to this action was brought about by the fact that the registered nurse is someone that I
respect and look up to in order for him to guide me in the nursing professional and therefore I
expected that he will be the one to ensure that I follow the right procedure in the disposing of the
needle. Therefore, it came as a shock to me that the person who is in charge of ensuring that I
conduct myself in the best professional way and in observing the relevant ethical standards is the
same one that is asking me not to adhere to them. This situation made me really think about my
values in relation to the nursing profession and challenged me to a great extent to ensure that I
observe all the required professional procedures in my future life as a nursing professional. The
situation also made me feel sad about the nursing profession and some of the people, such as the
registered nurse who would bend the required standards in disregard of the patients that they are
serving. I felt that there needs to be a change in the way the relevant people in the nursing
profession act whether they are being seen or not. The nurse have to adhere to the ethical