Nursing (Spiritual/Ethical) - Essay Example

Spiritual/Ethical in Nursing al Affiliation Spiritual/Ethical in Nursing Section The bible is clear about caring for the sick. In James 5:14, the Bible states, “Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (James 5:14 King James Version). This shows that people should care for the sick by showing love and concern, praying for them and help them in ways that they can. The roles of the various team members within the healing-hospital blueprint address caring for the sick from a biblical standpoint in different ways.

This happens in the sense that treating the patient, administering medication, washing their clothing and cleaning them all done by different team members such as nurses, doctors and pharmacists among others reflect the teaching of the bible that calls for them care, love, help and show concern for patients. Section 2The expectation of care will vary based on the faith base of the patient involved. Depending on their faith base, patients expect different levels and forms of care. There are different practices between members of the same faith and between those of different faiths, for instance diets, and holy days.

This means that they expect different levels or forms of care. Practitioners can change care practice based on the faith of the patients first by avoiding stereotyping and ask about preferences for instance food or care. Secondly, practitioners should seek to know from their patients if they require particular care based on their faith and implement it or inform the customer why it cannot be implemented. For example, the practitioners should inquire from the patient about the necessity for same sex caregivers or refusal for a particular aspect of care such as interference with the daily time for prayers.

The practitioners can the model the patient’s intervention with this in mind (Andrews & Boyle, 2002).Section 3Virtue ethics is the ethical theoretical framework that best describes my personal worldview. Virtue ethics was influenced by Aristotle. Virtue ethics focuses on the nature of the acting person who bases his actions on the right virtues. I base my actions on the right virtues as developed by the society. There are two extremes, for instance good deeds on one side and evil deeds on the other side.

Therefore, to be morally upright, one has to achieve an optimal balance between the two extremes. For example, I avoid hurting other people or going to jail by ensuring that I stay on the good deeds side. I respect people because I understand that this is a good action meaning that I base my actions on the right virtues (Swanton, 2003).Section 4My personal needs, preferences and biases may conflict with the needs, preferences and biases of my patients. People have different needs preferences and biases that make them unique and this is bound to conflict.

For instance, my preference for openness could conflict with the preferences for privacy with my patient when it comes to an issue that may affect his health yet he does not want to be open about it when undergoing care. Ethical principles here can be applied to identify the most appropriate decision when conflict arises, for instance by clarifying what I should do in such a circumstance. For example, in the situation above, the ethical principle on patient confidentiality may force me to wait until the patient is ready to open up or seek help from hospital authorities when the information is life threatening for the patient (De Dreu, Van Dierendonck & Dijkstra, 2004).

ReferencesAndrews, M. M., & Boyle, J. S. (2002). Transcultural concepts in nursing care. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 13(3), 178-180.De Dreu, C. K., Van Dierendonck, D., & Dijkstra, M. T. (2004). Conflict at work and individual well-being. International Journal of Conflict Management, 15(1), 6-26.Swanton, C. (2003). Virtue ethics: A pluralistic view. Retrieved August 4, 2014 from