Golden Gate Colleges Master of Arts in Nursing

Kenneth Myro D. Garcia

 Greek,

ETHOS characteristic way of acting - Customs or particular behaviour , etymological origin of ethics It is a way of acting affected by various factors such as culture, religion, discipline, intellect, laws, politics etc. Branch of philosophy that deals with values of human conduct related to rightness and wrongness of actions and to the goodness & badness of motives and end of such actions (King, 1984).

Division of ethics which deals with moral behaviour or nurses in the practice of their profession Nursing ethics is a branch of applied ethics that concerns itself with activities in the field of nursing. Nursing ethics shares many principles with medical ethics, such as beneficence, non-maleficence and respect for autonomy. It can be distinguished by its emphasis on relationships, human dignity and collaborative care.

Providing a basis for regulation the relationship between the nurse, the client, co-workers, society and profession Providing a standard basis for excluding the unscrupulous nursing practioner who is unjustly accused Serving as basis for professional curricula and orienting the new graduate to professional practice Assisting the public in understanding nursing conduct

Is a situation in which ethical principles conflict or when there is no clear course of action in a given situation Are often complicated and changed with emotion, making it difficult to arrive at fair or right decisions

Talk to colleagues or seek professional supervision. Usually, the nurse does not resolve an ethical dilemma alone. Spend time thinking about ethical issues and determining what values and beliefs are regarding situations before they occur. Be willing to discuss ethical concerns with colleagues or managers. Being silent is condoning the behaviour.

Refers to traditions or belief about right and wrong conduct (Beauchamp & Walters, 1999) Is a social and cultural institution with a history and code of learnable rules. Beauchamp (2001), cited that morality exists before we are taught its rules we learn about them as we grow up.

Morals is similar to ethics and many use them interchangeably (Kozier, 2008). Usually refers to private, personal standards of what is right and wrong in conduct, character and attitude

Ethical theories are derived from either of two basic schools of thought: Naturalism Rationalism

Naturalism is a view of moral judgement that regards ethics as dependent upon human nature and psychology. Naturalism attributes differences in moral codes to social conditions, while suggesting that there is basic congruence related to the possession, by nearly all people, of similar underlying psychological tendencies (Raphael, 1994).

This viewpoint allows each group or person to make judgements based upon feelings about particular actions in particular situations. Naturalism holds that, collectively, all people have a tendency to make similar ethical decisions

Rationalists argue that feelings or perceptions, though they seem similar in many people, may not actually be similar. Rationalists believe there are absolute truths that are not dependent upon human nature. They argue that ethical values have an independent origin in the nature of the universe or in the nature of God and can be known to humans through the process of reasoning. Rationalists see the knowledge gained through the senses as only contingently true. (Raphael, 1994).

Etymology:
Latin word jurisprudentia: juris is the genitive form of jus meaning "law", and prudentia means "knowledge
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law.

It embraces: 1. All laws enacted by the legislative body. 2. All regulations promulgated by those in authority. 3. Court decisions. 4. Formal principles upon which laws are based.

Defined as the department of law that comprises all the legal rules and principles affecting the practice of nursing. It includes not only the study but also the interpretation of all these rules and principles and their application in the regulation of the practice of nursing. It deals with: 1. All laws, rules and regulations. 2. Legal principles and doctrines governing and regulating the practice of nursing. 3. Legal opinions and decisions of competent authority in cases involving nursing practice.

The sources are the following: 1. The Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, particularly the Bill of Rights. 2. Republic Act No. 7164 otherwise known as the Philippine Nursing Law of 1991. 3. Rules and regulations promulgated by the Board of Nursing and/or Professional Regulation Commission pertaining to nursing practice. 4. Decisions of the Board of Nursing and/or Professional Regulation Commission on nursing cases.

5. Decisions of the Supreme Court on matters relevant to nursing. 6. Opinions of the Secretary of Justice in like cases. 7. The Revised Penal Code. 8. The New Civil Code of the Philippines. 9. The Revised Rule of Courts. 10. The National Internal Revenue Code as amended