UNCC300 Assignment 2: Opinion Editorial on Nursing and Common Good

This opinion editorial, written by a nursing student, addresses the challenges hindering the achievement of the common good, both locally and globally, within the context of nursing and indigenous communities. The author, drawing on personal experiences and relevant literature, identifies key obstacles such as societal ignorance, lack of awareness, the absence of evidenced-based practice, and cultural divisiveness. The editorial explores how these challenges impact the delivery of quality healthcare services, particularly for indigenous populations, and impede the broader goals of public health and community well-being. The author emphasizes the importance of nurses' roles in promoting health safety and highlights the need for a universal, evidence-based practice. Furthermore, it discusses the conflict between cultural directives and health perspectives in indigenous communities and their impact on nurses' morale and the overall effectiveness of healthcare initiatives. The editorial concludes by advocating for improved understanding and addressing the needs of indigenous communities to advance the common good globally.

Running head: OPINION EDITORIAL
Opinion Editorial
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OPINION EDITORIAL
It pains me as a practicing nurse when a trained nurse who is willing to offer services to
indigenous society cannot meet his or her goals due to various challenges. These challenges are
not only denying these communities quality services but also hindering the achievement of the
common good locally and globally. In this article I am going to address the local and global
challenges and relate them to the common good. Examples of the challenges the article will
dwell on include ignorance n the society, lack of awareness, lack of evidenced-based practice
and divisiveness.
Annett, (2016) argue that the Roman Catholicism describe the term common good as the total
sum of the conditions that enable people whether individuals or community to meet their
fulfillment easily. In the field of nursing, nurses may not mainly depend on theological idea on
this issue to elaborate on the common good. The nurses depend on individuals concern in the
society to address the issue of common good according to Hussain, (2018). For example the
nurses can insist on society’s concern to find out how they can balance between upholding
people’s dignity and respecting people’s social integrity.
Locally
In the local settings the first challenging issue is to find out the best ways in which the idea of
common good influences the professional improvements and practices in the field of nursing.
The function of nursing in common good is to ensure health safety in the society. Carmella,
(2018) stated that several indigenous societies do not recognize agree that nursing is a crucial
aspect in promoting both common good and societal well. One of the requirement of the
common good is the responsibility of everyone for the benefit of all according to Massaro,
(2015). However, the indigenous society questions the role of nurse in the society there no way
they can achieve benefit to all. The second thing is that many nurses and members of the society

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have failed to determine whether common good have a contribution in the role of nurses in these
communities according to McKenna, (2019). The outcome of that challenge is that one part of
the community will be caring for everyone as others lag behind due to ignorance. For a nurse
working in the department of the public health, the common good can assist him or her in
advancing in this field according to Russo, (2016). For example the way she can advance in
performing immunization and accessing antibiotics. However, as the years goes by society
change, the issue is that it is challenging to find how common good should evolve in relation to
the changing society.
Globally
The main issue when it comes to the global setting is about the challenge of evidenced based
practice according to Gilbert, (2019). The field of nursing is like any other profession which
needs a source of proof in the profession. The base of evidences always assist nurse to prove
various actions they take in the field. Lack of evidenced practice is a great challenge in realizing
the common good in that it seems to be immorally upright to lack a source of reference while
attending to indigenous society like people in Australia. The first reason is that members of the
community may tend to question various action and the way nurses examine the result of
assessment. There are cases where the evidence-base do not match the actions of the nurses. In
my suggestion, the patient may describe the action as of no value and thus sparking some level of
resistance from the public domain. It may mean that nurses are not for the interest of the public.
What is important is to have a universal evidenced based practice that can guide the nurses
across the world. Another issue is about the policies that guide these communities around the
world. Some of their cultural directive do not conform to the health perspective ideas. It proves
to be a challenge to nurses working these areas. For example, some of the indigenous societies

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have strong stand on herbal medicine than the one prescribed by the nurse. Rejection of action
from the nurses makes one to lose the morale of work and may not put effort to achieve goals of
the common good.

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OPINION EDITORIAL
References [APA]
Annett, A. (2016). Human flourishing, the common good, and Catholic social teaching. World
happiness report, 2.
Carmella, A. C. (2018). Catholic Thought on the Common Good: A Place for Establishment
Clause Limits to Religious Exercise. U. St. Thomas LJ, 15, 546.
Gilbert, R. B. (2019). Health care & spirituality: Listening, assessing, caring. Routledge.
Hussain, W. (2018). The common good .Routledge. Vol.2, pp.46-78.
Massaro, T. (2015). Living justice: Catholic social teaching in action. Rowman & Littlefield.
McKenna, K. E. (2019). A concise guide to Catholic social teaching. Ave Maria Press.
Russo, F. (2016). What is the CSR’s Focus in Healthcare?. Journal of Business Ethics, 134(2),
323-334.