Application of Law and Ethics in Nursing

This assignment examines the application of law and ethics in nursing practice. It discusses the Australian Code of Ethics for Nurses, emphasizing patient-centered care, non-discrimination, and informed consent. The Enrolled Nurse Competency Standards are also analyzed, highlighting legal requirements and guidelines for quality care. The essay explores key ethical principles such as autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and fidelity, illustrating their relevance in nursing decision-making.

Running head: PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
Professional Identity
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Authors note:

1
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
Nursing is a profession which emphasizes in providing quality care health services to the
individuals and several families. A safe and a competent nurse is the one who follows all the
regulations, standards and the professional values during the service (Andre, Heartfield and
Cusack 2016). She should follow all the legal and ethical principles of nursing. Nurses are
responsible for providing person centered care to their patients and help them whenever they ate
in need.This essay demonstrates the application of Law and Ethics to nursing practice.
The Code of Ethics is being formed in Australia for the nursing profession.The
main objective of this code is that the nurses in the should provide quality care to all their
patients without discriminating them on caste, creed and religion in various healthcare
organizations. According to this code nurses should be courteous and empathetic towards their
patients and should strictly follow all the ethical values and principles while providing care to
them (Atkins et al.2016).They should also have excellent communication skills that will help
the patient to recover soon from any health disease. They should take consent from the patient
and his family members before starting the treatment procedure. They should explain the
medications and the precautionary measures to be taken, functions and side effects of the drugs
and the risks involved in the treatment procedure. The Enrolled Nurse Competency Standards
involves various laws, acts and policies that should be followed by the nurses during the
practice. It aims to provide quality care to the patients by following the policies and the
guidelines of nursing profession.Nurses should follow proper nursing interventions to patients
according to the policies formed for the practice (Williams and Jordan, K 2007).
The basic ethical principles include Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-maleficence Justice,
Paternalism. Autonomy reverts to the fact that the nurses should respect the choice and the
decisions of their patients as they are also human beings and have the right to freedom of choice.

2
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
Non-maleficence means that the nurses should do not harm their patients during the treatment
procedure. They should be active and alert at all times and should have a sense of responsibility.
Beneficience means that the nurses should try their best in providing quality care that would help
in improving the health and well being of their patients (Staunton and Chiarella 2016).Justice
means that the nurses should not be impartial to all their patients and there should be no
discrimination on the basis of caste and religion. Fidelity means that the nurses should be loyal,
faithful and treat their patients with dignity and respect.
It can be concluded that the nursing professionals should get guidance about their roles and
responsibilities to provide care to the patients in an effective manner They should follow all the
principles of ethics.The nurses should maintain their dignity and of their patients as well. They
should provide proper health care services and ensure patient satisfaction by effective
communication strategies. The patients should be assessed about their mental and emotional
status.They should keep a check on his psychological state if he is still suffering from
depression, anxiety, sadness, anger or frustration.

3
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
References
Andre, K. & Heartfield, M. & Cusack, L. 2016, Portfolios for health professionals, 3rd edn,
Elsevier, Sydney.
Atkins, K., De Lacey, S., Britton, B. and Ripperger, R., 2017. Ethics and law for Australian
nurses. Cambridge University Press.
Staunton, P. & Chiarella, M. 2016, Law for nurses and midwives, 8th edn, Elsevier, Sydney.
Williams, M & Jordan, K 2007, ‘The nursing professional portfolio: a pathway to career
development’, Journal of Nurses Staff Development, vol. 23, no. 3, pp. 125-31.