Ethics at Work: What Nurses Really Do on the Job

摘要

Recently, what nurses do while at work has been a topic of discussion. Most would say that nurses provide care for patients—whether in hospitals, clinics, factories, schools, or homes. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics (2015) states in Provision 2 that "The nurse's primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population," so it should not be surprising that people have seen nurses providing care to others or have themselves been the recipients of such care. The idea of providing care for someone encompasses many actions and/or activities and would, most likely, be perceived or defined differently by persons as individuals. So, what can be said is the difference that nurses can provide for people when caring for them? The difference is in their "presence."