SILO2: Apply the principles of reflective practice to develop your professional nursing practice.
SILO3: Illustrate safe use of medicines relating to storage, preparation and administration in a range of settings.
SILO4: Demonstrate safe nursing practice that is professional, accountable, ethical and legal underpinned by a sound knowledge base in various health settings.
SILO7: Employ a range of communication and other strategies to facilitate safe and effective clinical and professional care interactions with people and health professionals.
SILO10: Apply knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology to individuals with a range of health conditions, across the lifespan.
Purpose
Nurses face many challenging situations in their workplace, and sometimes, this may challenge a person’s ethical boundaries. Understanding these boundaries can be complex, however is imperative. In Australia, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) provides guidelines for practice, and the International Council of Nurses (ICN) provides the code of ethics for nurses. These principles and guidelines are an effective tool to be used in decision making and clinical reasoning.
Case Scenario
Arnold Perera is an 87-year-old male who was admitted to hospital 2 weeks ago due to a syncopal episode. He fell down a flight of stairs and sustained a fractured neck of femur and multiple fractured ribs. He has a past medical history of hypertension and diabetes. In the last 6 months leading to his fall, Arnold has experienced a functional decline. In the last month, he has needed to call on additional support from his daughter, Kim. This was difficult for Arnold as he was a previously very independent person. Kim requested his father start thinking about assigning a support person (medical). In his current hospital admission, Arnold assigned his daughter, Kim, as his medical treatment decision maker.
One week into Arnold’s hospital admission, the medical team coincidentally found a stage 4 cancer that had spread to his lungs, bowels, and brain. The medical team first disclosed this information to Kim, Arnold’s daughter. They predicted Arnold would have 3 months to live and recommended palliative care for him.
Kim wished for the medical team to continue doing everything in their power to treat her father. She begged the medical team to not tell her father as it would lead to him living in fear and she was scared this news would send his health spirally downwards further.
Task details
This assessment is designed to support student nurses transitioning to registered nursing practice by developing their academic writing and reflective skills. It consolidates three key learning areas into one cohesive 1800-word academic reflective essay.
- Introduction (150 words)
- Brief overview of the essay purpose and structure
- Section 1: Australian Nurses Code of Conduct (450 words):
- Explain and apply Principles 2 (Person-centred practice) and 3 (Cultural practice and respectful relationships) to the case study.
- Section 2: Ethical Principles in Nursing (450 words):
- Define and apply two ethical principles (from autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence) to the case study.
- Section 3: Reflective Preparation for Placement (600 words):
- Part A (300 words): Reflect on professionalism and ethics, identifying a potential ethical dilemma in your upcoming clinical placement and strategies for addressing it. Refer to this document for information about Professional and Ethical Standards.
- Part B (300 words): Reflect on knowledge and skill gaps, and develop a plan to address them, aligned with one NMBA Registered Nurse Standard for Practice. (Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia – Registered nurse standards for practice (nursingmidwiferyboard.gov.au)
- Conclusion (150 words): Summarise key points and reinforce the transition to registered nursing.
- Use of Case Study: Reference the provided case study throughout the essay without restating it in full.
- Reflective Writing: Integrate reflective thinking and analysis, particularly in Section 3, with the use Rolfe/Driscoll’s framework for reflection
- Remember to support your discussion with relevant references from nursing literature and guidelines.
- Students must use the case study provided as a reference point. Students should not write out the scenario as it will be assumed the marker knows the scenario.