Semester 1: Professional Nursing Practice Report - NURBN 1001

This report examines the multifaceted aspects of professional nursing practice, emphasizing the significance of ethical conduct, patient rights, and adherence to legal frameworks. It begins by defining professional practice within the nursing context, highlighting the importance of training, education, and the guidance provided by regulatory bodies like the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. The report delves into critical areas such as privacy, confidentiality, and patient rights, referencing key Australian legislation like the Health Records Act 2001 and the Privacy Act 1988. It outlines the Australian Charter of Health Care Rights, underscoring the rights of patients to access quality care and be treated with dignity. Furthermore, the report analyzes the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's Code of Conduct, emphasizing its role in guiding nurses' behavior and ensuring patient safety. A case study involving a nurse's failure to adhere to the Code of Conduct and social media policy is presented, illustrating the consequences of unprofessional conduct and the importance of collaboration within healthcare teams. The report concludes by highlighting the importance of ethical practice and legal compliance in nursing.

Running head: NURBN1001- Assessment Task 1 A
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Assessment Task 1 A.
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Assessment Task 1 A 2
Professional Practice.
A professional practice generally refers to the conduct of work a person has in a given
profession (Atkins, De Lacey, Ripperger, & Britton, 2017). In professional practice, professions
usually require a given period of training and education. Such training and education are guided
by a nationally known regulatory body that provides a chartered membership. A nursing
profession practice is a scope of work that is guided by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of
Australia which provides all individuals pursuing nursing scope of work, standards of practice
and code of ethics.
Privacy and confidentiality within the Health field.
The Health Records Act 2001, Privacy Act 1988 and The Privacy Amendment
(enhancing privacy protection) Act 2012 are Australian national laws that govern health care
professionals' to protect patients' privacy and maintain confidentiality. Privacy and
confidentiality are parts of nursing practice. According to the Australian Nursing and Midwifery
Board, all nurses must adhere to ethical consideration and code of conduct that instruct patients
information not to be disclosed publicly and confidentiality must be maintained all times
following the law.
Patient rights.
The primary purpose of the Australian Charter of Health Care Rights is to inform patients
what they expect when receiving health care in Australia. Such rights include the right to access
health care, receive high quality and safe care, be treated with dignity and respect, ask questions,
receive prancy and provide feedback regarding care provided (Australian Commission on Safety
and Quality in Health Care, 2019). Health care rights allow nursing professionals to be able to
understand what patients need of them when they come to the hospital. This involves giving

Assessment Task 1 A 3
them access to health care and treatment they need and the provision of safe care in the
environment they feel safe (Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care, 2019).
Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Code of Conduct
The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia Code of Conduct provides guidelines of
nurses' obligations and how they are supposed to behave during clinical practice. The Code of
Conduct for nurses is important as it provides legal guidance for nurses during patient care (Code
of conduct for nurses, 2018). In this regard, the Code of Conduct allows patient safety practices,
guidelines on how to collaborate with patients and other health care providers that help them to
improve professionalism, clinical skills, and knowledge(Code of conduct for nurses, 2018). In
this case, nurses can be sure they are providing professional nursing practices by adhering to the
Code of Conduct guidelines and regulations.
Case Study.
Nurse Nickie does not adhere to the Australian Code of Conduct for nurses which states
that a nurse is obligated to follow laws and have lawful behavior. The patient complains of
having pain in the lower abdomen saying she has appendicitis. The nurse ignores arguing the
patent is pretending. Additionally, the nurse discloses the patient privacy on the phone telling her
friend the patient has got’ some pain’. The nurse also does not adhere to Social Media Policy
which advises nurses should not use media such as smartphones during patient care or disclose
patient privacy to another third party (AHPRA,2014). Nurses are also obligated to collaborate
with other health care providers to ensure patients receive the best care available. The nurse in
the case video does not collaborate with the doctor. Instead of recording the patient's progress
and reporting to the doctor, the nurse fails to follow the mandatory reporting and Health Records
Act 2011.

Assessment Task 1 A 4

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References.
Atkins, K., De Lacey, S., Ripperger, R., & Britton, B. (2017). Ethics & law for Australian nurses
(6th ed.). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2019). The Australian charter of
health care rights (second edition). Retrieved November 7th, 2019 from
https://www.safetyandquality.gov.au/national-priorities/charter-of- healthcare
rights/review-of-the-charter-of-healthcare-rights-second-edition
Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). (2014).
National Board policy for Registered health practitioner Social Media Policy. Retrieved
November 7th, 2019, from https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/Codes-
GuidelinesStatements/Policies/Social-media-policy.aspx
Health Records Act 2001 (Vic). Retrieved from
http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/LTObject_Store/LTOb
jSt2.nsf/DDE300B846EED9C7CA257616000A3571/12626CDEB1AB334FCA25776
10020607F/$FILE/01-2a001.pdf Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. (2018).
Code of conduct for nurses. Retrieved October 29, 2019 from
https://www.nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au/CodesGuidelines-Statements/Professional-
standards.aspx
The Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). Retrieved from
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2019C00241
Privacy Amendment (enhancing privacy protection) Act 2012. Retrieved from
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2012A00197