Accountability

"Part of professionalism is accountability, 

accountability to your actions and the outcomes of those actions."
(Mary Ann Siciliano McLaughlin, 2018)

This is my tag line and I say it to my students all of the time.  I really try to have students understand professionalism and accountability.  I feel this is a very useful life lesson for them as future nurses.  I feel they need to understand why it is so important for them to act in a manner conducive to being a professional nurse each day. 

I know I have posted about this before, but it needs repeating.  It amazes me just how much nursing students do not really get the concept of accountability.  It is not just a concept for them to think about when they become professional nurses.  We, as educators, must develop this accountability while they are still in school training to be nurses.  Is it a generational gap?  Have we developed a society that thinks they are above accountability and are just entitled all of the time?  How do we change this thinking in our nursing students?  It is not all students, so please do not think I am putting down all students.  I do not think that, and I do educate some pretty amazing students.

However, it does scare me that some students try to push the envelope to get a higher grade or get away with being at clinical less time.  The sad part is that I see these behaviors in other college majors too which my children confirm at their universities and their friends who attend other universities as well.

Ever since I did my ethics study and used authenticity as my central framework, I cannot help but think about the connection between accountability and authenticity.  

Here is an excerpt from my dissertation: An authentic existence consists of three characteristics. First, the person needs to be fully aware of the present moment. Second, the person lives in the moment by choosing how to live one’s life. Finally, the person needs to take responsibility for the choice (Corey, 1982). These concepts lead back to, and support, Dewey’s (1909/2008) work regarding intellectual development leading to a sense of good judgment. These three characteristics support the concept of nurses having the ability to observe an ethical situation (be fully aware of the present moment), process the situation (lives in the moment by choosing how to live one’s life), and then decide on a course of action for which they are responsible (taking responsibility for the choice). 

As always, I would love to hear he thoughts of others with regard to this topic.  Please feel free to share your thoughts about accountability and authenticity.