PROFESSIONAL ROLES AND VALUES TASK 2 2Professional Roles and Values C304 Task 2A1.Some individuals with no healthcare background are surprised when I speak of how oftenethics influences the nursing profession. I work on a high-risk women’s unit caring for women who are pregnant, postpartum, having abortions, gynecological surgeries and gynecological cancers. The last few months alone, I have handled scores of ethical issues in my interactions with patients and management. As a nurse of nineteen years, I have grown close to many patientsand their family members which can make for a challenging situation when faced with ethical matters. The ethical dilemma regarding Mr. Newcomb wanting to see his mistress prior to his death would prompt me to respond with great empathy. While understanding this may not have only been hard to reveal but upsetting to admit as well. He is accepting this will be his last encounter with her. I do not wish for any patient to die with regret, without closure or unfinished business. Having said that, my opinion of his affair and request is irrelevant, but how I respond to his request is essential. Words mean nothing if my body language and facial expressions do not coincide. While being sensitive to one of his final requests, I would tenderly convey how fond I have grown of he and his wife and how much they meant to me. I would validate his feelings and appreciate that seeing his mistress one final time may allow him closure and peace. Iwould let Mr. Newcomb know I could not, in good conscience, lie to his wife for him and he would have to coordinate the liaison with his mistress while his wife is away. I would give Mr. Newcomb the reassurance that whatever he chose to do, I still cared and would not stop advocating for him.
