What the Code of Ethics means to me: Vadim Chesnokov
The Code of Ethics wasn’t meant to sit on a shelf. It was meant to be a guide for nurses in their daily practice, whether as a nursing student, a staff nurse, an educator or a nurse administrator. So, we asked you, our members, for some of your perspectives on and how it applies to you and your profession. Here are some of the answers we got back.
The Code of Ethics and advocating for my patients
As a recent RN graduate and new employee on the medical unit at a local hospital I have had many opportunities to advocate for my patients both as a nursing student and as a new nurse.
The most vivid example would have to be when a patient of mine decided to ask to speak to a physician late in the evening, when only two crossover physicians were on duty for the entire hospital. Knowing how busy the physicians were I inquired to see if it was something that I could help the patient with, and afterwards I had to make the unpopular decision of contacting the physician and letting them know of the patient’s wishes.
It would have been easy to just try to convince the patient to wait until the next day to talk to her own physician, or make her feel bad about “bothering” the busy doctors. But, I knew that the patient was in distress and could really benefit from a talk with someone they saw as capable of helping them. So I went ahead and contacted the physician, who shortly after came by and talked to the patient.