Today, the number of people suffering from chronic diseases is increasing in the world. In addition to being the most common and costly, these health conditions require strong professional qualities, values, and beliefs of health professionals in their intervention.
Nursing values and beliefs are essential to the practice of nursing as they guide the standards of action for nurses, influence decision-making, and provide a framework for the evaluation of behavior. They include altruism, human dignity, autonomy, integrity, and social justice.
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Altruism is one of the most cherished values in nursing as it is concerned with the selfless concern for the well-being of others. As a nurse, showing compassion and empathy to patients is one of the principal values that increases clinical outcomes for the patient.
Another fundamental nursing value is human dignity, which requires that nurses value ad respect humanity. As a nurse, we are always involved with certain situations that can demean the dignity and self-worth of a person, but showing respect and value to each patient as a unique human who desires to live is upholding this value.
The value of autonomy is also significant in nursing as it requires nurses to allow the patients to make independent decisions concerning the kind of care they need. Whenever a situation calls for the decision of a patient on the best method of care, I would always yield to their decisions as long as they are in sound mind, and if not, consider the decision made by their family members.
Trust and honesty are also important aspects of integrity as a nursing value. To demonstrate integrity, I will ensure that I build the trust of the patients by offering them information in a simple way that allows them to make the right decision, as well as taking responsibility for every action that I undertake as the nurse in charge.
Social justice is a nursing value that deals with equity in the provision of health care. I can achieve this by offering non-discriminative care to all patients irrespective of their class, religion, or status.
To develop professional values and beliefs, education is key. According to Jager, Nolte, and Temane (2016), through continuous learning, it is easier to acquire more skills that enable nurses to perform their duties more professionally. Additionally, learning from other professionals through consultation and advice is equally an important strategy in developing values and beliefs. Hallin and Danielson (2008) argue that not all nursing values and beliefs can be learned in the workplace. Therefore, nurses should join professional bodies to enable them to develop more of these beliefs and values.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that nursing beliefs and values are extremely important in order to obtain a positive clinical outcome for patients, especially those with chronic diseases. Nurses must develop them in order to successfully fulfill their main mission – providing help to those who need it.