The Ethical Nurse by Mary Ann Siciliano McLaughlin Ed.D, MSN, RN, ANEF

"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 accou...

Virtue is defined as “the qualities or characteristics developed by individuals when acted on in a balanced way, that are morally praiseworthy, and reinforce acting in the same way in the future” (Crigger and Godfrey, 2011).     Virtue can be viewed as two states of character (Crigger and Godfrey, 2011).   Virtue, as a state of character, was first defined by Crigger and Godfrey, as ‘makes one good’.  I see this "makes one good" as choosing to do the right thing.  For nurses, this choosing to do the right thing can positively impact our patients and their health/outcomes.   Second, virtue, as a state of character, makes a person perform well in their own work (Crigger and Godfrey, 2011). If a person, or nurse for example, performs well in their work, then again patients benefit.  Once a person performs well, they will most likely want to replicate that behavior in the future.  The students need to understand the importance of virtue and...

Social justice is acting in accordance with the treatment of patients regardless of their economic status, race, ethnicity, age, citizenship, disability, or sexual orientation (AACN, 2008). We address social justice as a pillar of professionalism. How many times have we seen patients treated differently based upon the aforementioned reasons?   Our students need to understand the importance of not treating people differently based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or any other component of social justice. The patients, inclusive of all patients,  deserve unconditional, unbiased care.   This is a concept that needs to be communicated to our students.   For nurses to be leaders, with regard to embracing social responsibility, the students must acknowledge the role of this pillar, within the profession (Tyer-Viola et al, 2009). How can we, as faculty, support this pillar of professionalism?  How can we demonstrate the need for social justice in how we co...

Morality , as a pillar of professionalism, and as a part of ethics, needs to be reinforced with students.   Ethics goes beyond usual day-to-day moral decision-making. Ethics is so much more than end-of-life controversial issues. Rather, ethics that arise from the daily work of nurses and the use of ethical knowledge in practice is far more important because it fuels a nurse to action — action that may lead to good or bad not only for the patient, but for the profession of nursing as well. Some such ethical decisions may include medication errors, creating a culture of safety that is bully-free for the patient, administering respectful care while maintaining professional boundaries, and protecting patients from potential threats to safety.  Ethical knowledge development addresses who we are as ethical and moral beings, with the ability to believe in what is good and right (Chinn & Kramer, 2008). Social change, as a result of reflection, is the outcome of emancipat...

In September, I had the privilege of presenting on my ethics model, The Siciliano-McLaughlin Model of Ethics, at the Sigma Theta Tau Leadership Connection.

Integrity is acting in accordance with the appropriate code of ethics and accepted standards of practice (AACN, 2008).   In nursing, integrity is evident through the code of ethics, as well as, acceptable standards of practice as set forth by professional nursing organizations.   The students, faculty, staff and administration need to execute integrity as a pillar of professionalism at all times. Anytime there is a breach in integrity there is the potential for future negative fallout from the experience. Students need to recognize that integrity, as a pillar of professionalism, is paramount to the profession of nursing. Do you agree as nursing educators?  What is your view on maintaining integrity in our students and teaching them by example?  As always, I would love to hear feedback from other nursing faculty or nursing administrators.   

Knowledge is defined as a specialized body of knowledge research and utilization of evidence-based practice. A profession is learned through education (Joel, 2002).   Knowledge, as a pillar, is important because it denotes not just the knowledge related to patient care but also being able to use that specialized knowledge or evidence-based practice in clinical care. The students need to understand that the profession of nursing has been learned through the educational process (Joel, 2002).    Without knowledge, the students will be powerless in providing patient centered care for their patients. As Claire Fagin said (9/16/2013), ‘I see nursing as the application of science in an artistic way.’ I want my students to have that solid knowledge base in which to apply nursing artistically to their patient cares.”