The nurse administers a medication to the patient and then realizes that the medication had been discontinued. The error is immediately reported to the physician. The nurse is complying with the standards of professional performance known as:

Question

a. Ethics.
b. Socialization.
c. Altruism.
d. Autonomy.

Answer 1

ANS: A
Guiding the nurse's professional practice are ethical behaviors. Ethics is the standards of right and wrong behavior. The main concepts in nursing ethics are accountability, advocacy, autonomy (be independent and self-motivated), beneficence (act in the best interest of the patient), confidentiality, fidelity (keep promises), justice (relate to others with fairness and equality), nonmaleficence (do no harm), responsibility, and veracity (be truthful). Ethical guidelines direct the nurse's decision making in routine situations and in ethical dilemmas. Socialization to professional nursing is a process that involves learning the theory and skills necessary for the role of nurse. A profession provides services needed by society. Additionally, practitioners' motivation is public service over personal gain (altruism). Members of a profession have autonomy in decision making and practice and are self-regulating in that they develop their own policies in collaboration with one another.