Professional Conduct

Running head: PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
Professional conduct
Name of the student:
Name of the University:
Author’s note

1PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
Introduction:
For newly placed nurses, set of documents related to professional standards guides them
regarding the level of care they need to provide during the nursing process. The importance of
professional nursing standard is that they promote and guide clinical practice ensuring clinical
proficiency and safety. It is an important framework to evaluate clinical performance against
professional standards (Lúanaigh 2015). This report will focus on examining and event in
clinical placement which required demonstration of professional conduct set by Nursing and
Midwifery Council (NMC) and critically reflecting on ways by which the event illustrates
professional conduct.
Reflection and critical analysis of the event:
Description of the situation:
During one of my clinical placement in a medical ward, I was assigned the duty to care
for a 55 year old man, who came to the medical after post a hip replacement surgery. I came
during the night shift and the handover nurse gave me notes regarding the patient history and
medical notes. I was instructed to follow all the notes and immediately provide the medication to
patient as per schedule. I found that the patient was using opioids via epidural catheter to manage
his pain post surgery. As vital signs of patient fluctuate after surgery, I was vigilant to check the
patient’s vital signs after every 30 minutes. However, one challenge that I faced during the care
of patient was that apart from fluctuation of vital signs, the patient’s pain level was also
deteriorating. I took the approach to calm down the patient through my communication skill. To
maintain her vital signs, I had to provide certain medications. However, I was in a fix because I

2PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT
was not sure whether her pain medication should be changed or not as she was already on
opioids via epidural catheter. To ensure safety and comfort for the patient, I took the approach to
consult the physicians and senior present in the ward regarding change of medications. I was
instructed that his medications cannot be changed for 24 hours as this could lead to adverse
effect for patient. I am glad that I took to approach to collaborate with other professionals as this
saved me from deteriorating the health condition of patient. The event also supported me in
following all professional standards required during the situation.
Analysis:
The above clinical situation is in alignment with the professional conduct standards given
by the NMC. For example, the NMC professional standards mention that to practice effectively,
nurse must work cooperatively and maintain effective communication with colleagues. It
requires nurse to respect the skills and expertise of other staffs and refer information to other to
preserve the safety of patient and reduce risk (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2015). I
demonstrated this professional standard by choosing the step to consult my senior staffs
regarding change in patient’s medication to manage his pain. I regarded consulting the senior
nurse as a vital step because the patient was already on opioid via epidural catheter and I was in
doubt regarding the need for changing his medication. However, consulting with my colleagues
helped me to practice effectively as I got ideal advice regarding the best option approach to
reduce risk for patient. This also helped to fulfil the NMC professional standard of acting without
delay when there is a risk to patient safety. Raising the concern to relevant authority helped to
me take effective decision for patient. Manias (2018) supports that interdisciplinary collaboration
has significant impact on medication errors as sharing patient information and making decisions