Moral and ethical standards, rules and principles of professional nursing behavior. The role of ethics and deontology in the work of a nurse Ethical principles of the work of a nurse

The main aspects of medical ethics determine the attitude of a medical worker to the patient, society and the relationship of medical workers with each other. Nursing ethics is one of the sections of bioethics, the meaning of which is to demonstrate humanism in all areas of medical activity.

Medical ethics refers to a combination of moral standards that medical workers are required to follow in the performance of their professional duties. At the same time, medical ethics is very closely related to medical deontology - the doctrine of problems of morality and morality, which is a section of ethics. Deontology mainly determines the norms of the relationship between a medical worker and a patient. Ethics and deontology are closely interrelated. The term “deontology” was first introduced into use by the British philosopher I. Bentham at the beginning of the 19th century, meaning by it the doctrine of the norms of behavior of a representative of any profession. The word “deontology” is derived from two Greek roots: deon - “ought”, and logos - “teaching”. Consequently, medical deontology is the doctrine of the duty of medical workers to the patient. According to the formulation of the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, “... attention must be paid to ensure that everything that is used is beneficial.”

The definition of “ethics” is used when it comes to the theory of morality, one or another interpretation of such concepts as duty, conscience, honor, justice, etc. Compliance with ethics and deontology seems extremely important in the system of relationships between a health worker and his ward. It is known that doctors, when starting their professional activities, take the Hippocratic oath, which defines the concepts of medical ethics. An analogue of this text for nurses was the oath of the English nurse Florence Nightingale in the 19th century.

According to modern rules of ethics and deontology, work in a medical institution must be subject to strict discipline and subordination. In relation to the patient, the medical worker is obliged to show attentiveness and correctness.

Deontology also includes such an aspect as maintaining medical confidentiality. There are situations when it is advisable to hide the real state of his health and further prognosis from the patient, especially in oncology. Not only doctors, but also all members of the medical staff who come into contact with the patient are required to maintain secrecy.

Iatrogenesis is directly related to medical deontology - a painful condition that develops in a patient due to the negative influence of a medical worker on him. Careless voicing of a serious diagnosis in the presence of a patient, mention of a possible death and other information - all this can negatively affect his mental and physical condition. It is also unacceptable to discuss the health status and diagnoses of other patients in the presence of the patient. If a patient is characterized by excessive suspiciousness and psychological instability, then it is easy to convince him that he has some kind of pathology. In this case, a person begins to look for symptoms of a non-existent disease. In such a situation, the medical professional should try to convince the patient that there are no fictitious diseases. Iatrogenesis also includes diseases and injuries resulting from unqualified or thoughtless actions of a doctor.

The tactics of a medical worker and his relationship with the patient should always be built taking into account the individual characteristics of the patient’s character, his level of education and the severity of his condition. The relationship between a medical worker and the patient’s relatives and friends represents the most difficult problem in modern medical deontology. If the disease is not dangerous, the prognosis is favorable, and the treatment is proceeding according to the planned plan, then you can be as frank as possible.

If there are any complications, we will allow a tactful conversation with the closest relatives. In severe cases, the most reasonable answer on the part of the nurse is “ask your doctor.”

The Code of Ethics for Nurses in Russia is of particular importance in determining the rules of conduct for nurses. When compiling it, new ideas that influenced the professional ethics of nurses were taken into account.

First of all, this document reflects modern ideas about the rights of the patient, which largely determine the responsibilities of a medical worker.

For violation of the Ethical Code of Nurses of Russia, the nurse bears responsibility as provided for in the Charter of the Interregional Association of Nurses of Russia.

According to the documents on which the Code was drawn up (such as the Constitution of the World Health Organization (1946), the Code of Ethics for Nurses of the International Council of Nurses (1973), etc.), nurses are not only executors of doctor’s orders , but also representatives of an independent profession who have the skills of comprehensive patient care and have the necessary level of knowledge in the field of psychology.

The first impression of a medical institution is based, among other things, on how the medical staff greeted you, and this is what determines the further relationship between the patient and the medical staff, the presence or absence of trust between them, etc. Both the appearance and the internal emotional state of the nurse should position the patient towards it. The nurse should not call the patient “sick” in a distant manner, as this indicates an indifferent attitude. To create an atmosphere of trust in communication between a nurse and a patient, it is necessary to give the patient the opportunity to feel that you are not indifferent to his fate and that you really want to help him. Only in such a situation can a degree of trust arise in which the nurse can obtain complete and objective information about the patient, the characteristics of his psyche, and find out his opinion about his own illness and hospital conditions. Such information will make it possible to make a nursing diagnosis, which will subsequently facilitate the healing process.

The nurse must remember to always retain a leading role and not cross the line between trust and familiarity. The nurse should try to promote the emergence of empathy between her and the patient, but under no circumstances should she identify herself with the patient: with all the understanding of his problems and the desire to alleviate his condition, to help him, she should be critical of her actions and not allow herself to go wrong. about him. To establish a trusting relationship, you need to convince the patient of the confidentiality of your conversations.

Having gained an understanding of the patient’s personality and emotional experiences, the nurse can tactfully explain to him not only his rights, but also his responsibilities, and also carefully prepare the patient for examinations and therapeutic procedures, presenting the necessary information in an accessible form. The patient's reluctance to undergo certain procedures should not provoke the development of a negative attitude towards him on the part of the nurse.

When building a nurse-patient relationship, the individual work style and personal characteristics of the nurse are important. The necessary qualities in this case are professionalism, compassion, mercy, boundless patience, responsibility and politeness.

The work style and behavior of a nurse largely depend on the ethical standards established in a given medical institution. Unfortunately, a common shortcoming of nursing staff is moral indifference (indifference). Some actions that contradict the basic concepts of ethics and deontology are explained by doctors by the presence of objective factors of modern reality. However, there are no circumstances that could justify unethical actions by a medical professional.

Ethical principles define the Code of Ethics for Nurses in each country, including Russia, and are standards of conduct for nurses and a means of self-government for a professional nurse. The Ethical Code of Nurses of Russia was adopted at the III All-Russian Conference on Nursing in June 1996, reviewed by the Ethics Committee of Russia and approved by the Ministry of Health in April 1997, and came into force. The President of the Russian Nurses Association is Valentina Sarkisova, St. Petersburg.

Ethical code of medical nurses of Russia.

Part I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

The ethical basis of the professional activity of a nurse is humanity and mercy. The most important tasks of a nurse’s professional activity are: comprehensive comprehensive care for patients and alleviation of their suffering; health restoration and rehabilitation; promoting health and preventing disease.

The Code of Ethics provides clear moral guidelines for the professional activity of a nurse and is designed to promote consolidation, increase the prestige and authority of the nursing profession in society, and the development of nursing in Russia.

Part II

NURSE AND PATIENT

Article 1. Nurse and the patient’s right to quality medical care.

The nurse must respect the inherent rights of every person to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and to receive adequate health care. The nurse is obliged to provide the patient with quality medical care that meets the principles of humanity and professional standards. The nurse has a moral responsibility for his work to the patient, colleagues and society. It is the nurse's professional and ethical duty to provide, to the best of her ability, emergency medical care to any person in need.

Article 2. The main condition for nursing activities is professional competence.

A nurse must always comply with and maintain professional standards of practice determined by the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation. Continuous improvement of special knowledge and skills, raising one's cultural level is the primary professional duty of a nurse. The nurse must be competent regarding the moral and legal rights of the patient.

Article 3. Humane treatment of the patient, respect for his legal rights.

The nurse must place compassion and respect for the patient's life above all else. The nurse must respect the patient's right to relief of suffering to the extent that the current level of medical knowledge allows. A nurse has no right to participate in torture, executions or other forms of cruel and inhumane treatment of people. A nurse has no right to assist a patient’s suicide.

The nurse is responsible, within her competence, for ensuring the rights of the patient proclaimed by the World Medical Association, the World Health Organization and enshrined in the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Article 4. Respect for the human dignity of the patient.

The nurse must be constantly ready to provide competent care to patients regardless of their age or gender, nature of the disease, race or national origin, religious or political beliefs, social or financial status or other differences. When providing care, the nurse must respect the patient's right to participate in the planning and implementation of treatment. Displays of arrogance, disdain, or demeaning treatment of patients will not be tolerated. A nurse does not have the right to impose her moral, religious, or political beliefs on a patient. When determining the priority of medical care for several patients, the nurse should be guided only by medical criteria, excluding any discrimination. In cases requiring medical monitoring of the patient's behavior, the nurse should limit her interference in the patient's personal life solely to professional necessity.

Article 5. First of all, do no harm.

A nurse has no right to violate the ancient ethical commandment of medicine “First of all, do no harm!” The nurse does not have the right to be indifferent to the actions of third parties seeking to cause such harm to the patient. The actions of the nurse to provide care and any other medical interventions associated with pain and other temporary negative phenomena are permissible only in his interests. “The medicine should not be worse than the disease!” When performing medical interventions that are fraught with risk, the nurse is obliged to provide safety measures to relieve complications that threaten the life and health of the patient.

Article 6. Nurse and patient's right to information.

The nurse must be truthful and honest. It is the nurse's moral duty to inform the patient of his rights. She must respect the patient's right to receive information about his state of health, the possible risks and benefits of proposed treatments, diagnosis and prognosis, as well as his right to refuse information altogether. Considering that the function of informing the patient and his relatives primarily belongs to the doctor, the nurse has the moral right to convey professional information only in agreement with the attending physician as a member of the team serving this patient. In exceptional cases, the nurse has the right to hide professional information from the patient if she is convinced that it will cause him serious harm.

Article 7. The nurse and the patient’s right to agree to or refuse medical intervention.

The nurse must respect the right of the patient or his legal representative (when dealing with a child or a mentally incompetent patient) to consent to or refuse any medical intervention. The nurse must be sure that consent or refusal is given by the patient voluntarily and knowingly. It is the moral and professional duty of the nurse to explain to the patient, to the best of her ability, the consequences of refusing a medical procedure. The patient’s refusal should not affect his position and negatively affect the attitude of the nurse and other medical workers towards him.

A nurse has the right to provide assistance without the patient’s consent (or without the consent of the legal representative of an incompetent patient - a child under 15 years of age or an incompetent mentally ill person) only in strict accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. When providing medical care to incompetent patients, the nurse should, as far as the condition of such patients allows, involve them in the decision-making process.

Article 8. Obligation to maintain professional secrets.

A nurse must keep secret from third parties information entrusted to her or that has become known to her due to the performance of her professional duties about the patient’s health status, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis of his illness, as well as about the patient’s personal life, even in the event of the patient’s death. The nurse is obliged to strictly perform his duties to protect confidential information about patients, in whatever form it is stored. The nurse has the right to disclose confidential information about the patient to any third party only with the consent of the patient. The right for a nurse to transmit information to other specialists and medical professionals providing medical care to the patient requires his consent. A nurse has the right to transmit confidential information without the patient’s consent only in cases provided for by law. In this case, the patient should be informed of the inevitability of disclosing confidential information. In all other cases, the nurse bears personal moral, and sometimes legal, responsibility for disclosing professional secrets.

Article 9. Nurse and dying patient.

The nurse must respect the dying person's right to humane treatment and death with dignity. The nurse must have the necessary knowledge and skills in the field of palliative care, giving the dying person the opportunity to end his life with the maximum achievable physical, emotional and spiritual comfort. The primary moral and professional responsibilities of a nurse are: prevention and relief of suffering, usually associated with the process of dying; Providing psychological support to the dying person and his family. Euthanasia, that is, the deliberate action of a nurse to end the life of a dying patient, even at his request, is unethical and unacceptable.

The nurse must treat the deceased patient with respect. Religious and cultural traditions should be taken into account when processing the body. The nurse is obliged to respect the rights of citizens regarding pathological autopsies enshrined in the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Article 10. Nurse as a participant in scientific research and educational process.

A nurse should strive to participate in research activities and increase knowledge in her profession. In research activities involving humans as an object, the nurse is obliged to strictly follow international documents on medical ethics (Declaration of Helsinki, etc.) and the legislation of the Russian Federation. For a nurse, the interests of the patient’s personality should always be above the interests of society and science. When participating in scientific research, the nurse is obliged to especially strictly ensure the protection of those patients who are not able to take care of it themselves (children, people with severe mental disorders). Patient participation in the educational process is permissible only in compliance with the same guarantees for the protection of their rights.

Ethics and deontology of a nurse are the rules of proper behavior of a specialist in a medical institution.

We'll tell you how to build relationships with colleagues, patients and their families, how to avoid conflicts, and what literature a nurse should study. The article also contains a reminder: 13 phrases for refusing a colleague, within the framework of the principles of ethics.

More articles in the magazine

From the article you will learn:

The concept of nursing ethics and deontology

The ethics and deontology of a nurse in the context of scientific and technological progress and expanding opportunities for medical research does not lose its relevance.

Today, more than ever, a nurse must show not only her high professionalism in her work, but also an attentive, sensitive, cordial attitude towards her patients and colleagues.

Ethics and deontology in the work of a nurse are the relationships of the nurse with all participants in the diagnostic and treatment process, with the patient, his relatives, as well as relationships within the medical team as a whole.

Medical ethics is separated from bioethics, the main meaning of which is the manifestation of humanism in all spheres of people’s lives, including medical activities.

Ethics

Ethics in professional activity is a set of moral and moral standards that a health worker must follow in his daily activities - performing medical interventions, caring for patients, etc.

Another branch of medical ethics is deontology. This is a science that studies various problems of morality and ethics that manifest themselves in modern society.

Medical ethics and deontology in the work of a nurse implies two main aspects in modern ideas:

  1. Practical - ethics acts as one of the sections of medical practice, which deals with the formation and application of ethical ideas in everyday activities.
  2. Scientific - ethics acts as one of the sections of medical science, which deals with the study of moral and ethical aspects in the activities of a health worker.

Deontology

Causes of conflicts between nurse and doctor

If medical ethics and deontology are not observed in the work of a nurse, conflicts may arise between specialists, which adversely affect the atmosphere in the work team as a whole.

Let's consider the main causes of conflicts between nurses and doctors:

The ethics and deontology of a nurse are based on the principles of mutual respect and cooperation, therefore specialists must try in every possible way and maintain a calm working environment in the team.

Nurse-nurse relationships:

In professional activities, nurses’ relationships with each other should be built with the following features:

  • respect and courtesy should be shown;
  • comments on work should be brought to the attention of colleagues without patients;
  • more experienced nurses should pass on their experience to younger colleagues;
  • in difficult situations, nurses should strive to help each other.

Relationships "nurse - junior medical staff"

  1. Unobtrusive and tactful monitoring of the work of orderlies.
  2. An arrogant and familiar attitude is not allowed.
  3. Mutual respect.
  4. You cannot make comments to each other in the presence of other colleagues and visitors.

Solving ethical and deontological problems in the work of a nurse

Ethics and deontology of a nurse as a science allows us to solve various problems that arise in the work of a specialist.

This work includes the following areas:

  • conducting seminars and trainings on how to resolve conflict situations and prevent them, on collective methods of work, and the development of communication skills;
  • training nurses in the norms of communication with patients and their relatives;
  • testing knowledge of the norms of the code of ethics for nurses;
  • conducting periodic tests, thanks to which it is possible to identify employees who experience chronic fatigue and professional burnout. Based on these data, activities are planned to reduce the risks of developing professional burnout syndrome.

For example, one of the nurses filmed her working day with a mobile phone camera, then posted photos on her social network page in which patients were present. A conversation is held with such a nurse, and in the department the use of mobile phones is prohibited from photographing patients.

This information is subsequently communicated to all nurses in the medical facility.

Literature on the topic "Ethics and deontology of nursing"

  1. Code of Ethics for Russian Nurses.
  2. International Code of Ethics for Nurses.
  3. International Council of Nurses Code of Ethics for Nurses - in English.
  4. Fagin L., Garelick A. The doctor-nurse relationship. Advances in Psychiatric Treatment. Jun 2004, 10(4): 277–286.
  5. Hospitals try to calm doctors’ outbursts. URL: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/10/hospitals_try_to_calm_doctors_outbursts/?page=1 (accessed 03/02/2016).
  6. Ethics and deontology of nursing. URL: http://www.sisterflo.ru/ethics/ (date of access - 03/02/2016).

Medical ethics and deontology determine the attitude of a medical worker to the patient, society and the relationship of medical workers with each other.

From this article you will learn:

Ethics and deontology in medicine: general principles

Ethics and deontology in medicine is one of the sections of bioethics, the meaning of which is manifestation of humanism in all areas of medical activity. Medical ethics and deontology determine the attitude of a medical worker to the patient, society and the relationship of medical workers with each other.

Developments in medicine and society over the past two thousand years have led to changes in the field of medical ethics. Today, medical activities are regulated by many ethical and legal standards.

Nowadays, the implementation of ethical principles in medicine includes:

Medical ethics

Under medical ethics imply a combination of moral standards that medical workers are required to follow in the performance of their professional duties. At the same time, it is closely related to medical deontology - the doctrine of problems of morality and morality, which is a section of ethics.

That part of ethics, the subject of which is the doctrine of a person’s duty to another person and society as a whole, is called deontology. Thus, the theoretical basis of deontology is medical ethics, and deontology, manifested in the actions of medical personnel, is the practical application of medical — ethical principles. Over the centuries-old history of medicine, many ethical norms have formed into rules of conduct for a doctor. The set of these rules is called medical deontology.

Deontology mainly determines the norms of the relationship between a medical worker and a patient. The term “deontology” was first introduced into use by the British philosopher I. Bentham at the beginning of the 19th century, meaning by it the doctrine of the norms of behavior of a representative of any profession. The word “deontology” is derived from two Greek roots: deon – “ought”, and logos – “teaching”. Therefore, medical deontology is the doctrine of the duty of medical workers to patients.


The main principles of medical deontology are:

Ethics and deontology of a nurse

The ethics and deontology of the nurse are of particular importance.

How to deal with an aggressive patient?

An aggressive person can be recognized by a specific communication style. Most likely, he will try to manipulate medical workers, allow himself personal accusations and even insults against them.

The patient can be determined by his behavior when a conflict is brewing:

  • the movements are impulsive and sharp, there is a nervous blush on the face, a glance from under the brows, sharp and piercing;
  • raises his voice.

The personality of a nurse, the ability to deal with patients, the knowledge of the technique of psychological work with them - all this in itself can serve as a medicine and have a healing effect. When building a nurse-patient relationship, the individual work style and personal characteristics of the nurse are of great importance.

Deontology in medicine presupposes the presence of certain qualities that are very important in the work of a nurse. The most important are:

Ethics and deontology in the work of a nurse

Zinovia Karabanova senior nurse of the transfusiology department of JSC "Republican Scientific Center of Neurosurgery", Astana

The fundamental principles of nursing ethics and deontology, set out in the oath of the English nurse and public figure Florence Nightingale:

Everything about the nurse should win the patient over, and only then does a confidential dialogue arise, during which the nurse learns the information she needs about the patient, his personality traits, his opinion about the disease, hospitalization, and plans for the future.

Talks about how to resolve conflict

Methods for resolving conflicts in practical healthcare settings

If you encounter conflicting patients in the course of your work, psychologists recommend adhering to the following rules of conduct:

Remember, your patient in the process of communication satisfies his psychological needs and needs (related to personal problems) through communication with you. For him, you are an environment where he can throw off negative emotions. Be patient, do not allow yourself to be drawn into conflict(!);

It is extremely important for a health worker to remember that it is also necessary to manage their own emotions when working with such patients, avoiding rudeness or insults;

The ethics and deontology of a nurse also includes her appearance, facial expression, and speech. The speech of a nurse is a characteristic of a specialist and must comply with standards. You need to communicate with the patient in a language that he understands, without using “unnecessary” medical terminology.

According to the author of a number of scientific works and monographs on medicine, Yu.K. Subbotin, “medical ethics is a science that studies the moral side of the activities of health workers, their moral relations and moral consciousness associated with the performance of professional duties.”

Ethics is of great importance in the system of relationships between health care workers and patients. An analogue of the well-known medical Hippocratic oath for nurses became in the 19th century. Florence Nightingale's oath.

The ethical code of Russian nurses is of particular importance in the history of domestic medicine and, in particular, nursing in the twentieth century. On the one hand, the vast majority of medical workers have always remained faithful to their duty and oath, and on the other, we should not forget that back in the 1920s. Official health officials in the Soviet Union regarded professional medical ethics as a “bourgeois relic.” Moreover, these figures were firmly convinced that such a concept as “medical confidentiality” was unacceptable for Soviet medicine and would soon die out. During the reforms, which were not always justified, there was a bias towards the very concept of “nurse”, which was supposed to be replaced by the terms “doctor”, “deputy doctor”, “medical technician”, etc.

Thus, the creation of the Russian Nurse Ethical Code was a kind of repentance and hope for the return of moral and ethical health to our medical workers. In drawing up this Code, new ideas that have emerged in the previous few decades and have influenced the professional ethics of nurses have been taken into account. First of all, this Code reflected modern concepts of the rights of the patient, which, in turn, determine the responsibilities of a medical worker.

The Code of Ethics for Nurses in Russia is based on documents such as the WHO Charter (1946), the Code of Ethics for Nurses of the International Council of Nurses (1973), the Code of Professional Ethics for Psychiatrists adopted by the Russian Society of Psychiatrists in 1993, etc. According to these documents, nurses are not just obedient executors of doctor’s instructions, but representatives of an independent profession who have the skills of comprehensive patient care and have the proper amount of knowledge in the field of psychology and psychotherapy. According to the founder of nursing F. Nightingale, “a nurse must have a triple qualification: cardiac - for understanding patients, scientific - for understanding diseases, technical - for caring for the sick.”

Almost all of us have sought help from some medical institution at least once in our lives, so it’s no secret that the impression of a hospital or clinic depends not only on the quality of the medical services provided, but also on how you were greeted staff. The very first contact of the patient, in particular with the nurse, is of exceptional importance, since it determines the further relationship of the parties, the presence or absence of trust, the emergence of hostility, etc.

Deontology (translated from Greek as “due”) is the science of problems of morality and morality. It addresses issues such as responsibility for the life and health of patients, compliance with medical confidentiality, relationships in the medical community, etc.

Both the appearance (neatness, hairstyle, facial expression) and the internal mood of the nurse should evoke in the patient a feeling of goodwill, affection, and trust. Under no circumstances should a nurse address a patient impersonally as “sick,” as this indicates her complete indifference. To establish a trusting relationship between a nurse and a patient, it is necessary to make him feel that you care about his fate and you sincerely want to help him. Only in such a situation can a degree of trust arise in which the nurse can find out all the necessary information about the patient, his character traits, his opinion about his own illness, hospital conditions, and plans for the future. After all, it is this information obtained during direct contact that will give the nurse the opportunity to make an objective nursing diagnosis. However, the nurse must remember that it is unacceptable to cross the fine line between a trusting relationship and familiarity; one should always reserve a leading role. The nurse must show sympathy for the patient, promote the establishment of sympathy between them, but at the same time she should not identify herself with the patient. A prerequisite for establishing a trusting relationship is the patient's confidence in the confidentiality of conversations with the nurse.

Having information about the characteristics of the patient’s personality and character, his experiences, the nurse can tactfully explain to the patient not only his rights, but also some of his responsibilities, prepare him for upcoming examinations and therapeutic procedures, telling him about them in an accessible form. The patient's reluctance to undergo certain types of examinations or medical procedures should not cause a negative attitude towards him on the part of the nurse. Nurses are required to be honest and truthful when communicating with a patient, but any conversations regarding the diagnosis or characteristics of his disease should not go beyond the limits indicated by the doctor. The same rule must be observed during conversations with the patient’s relatives.

The doctor and nurse may sometimes have slightly different views on certain aspects of patient care. Of course, fundamental disagreements should not arise, but nevertheless, you need to discuss the problem with the doctor with the utmost tact, since achieving complete agreement makes the work much easier. You should not discuss such controversial situations with third parties or directly with your superiors, as this may provoke the development of an unhealthy situation within the work team. Undoubtedly, the nurse has every right to defend her point of view, but at the same time she must be ready to admit and correct her own mistakes. High demands on oneself is one of the most important qualities of any professional, and a nurse is no exception.

The humanism of the medical profession creates the basis for protecting the personal dignity of a nurse, ensuring her integrity, and the right to assistance in the performance of professional duties.

In the system of “nurse-patient” relationships, the nurse’s individual work style is of great importance. The main qualities that a good nurse should have are knowledge, skill, tenderness, affection, compassion, mercy, boundless patience, responsibility and courtesy. Unfortunately, not enough attention is currently paid to identifying and promoting these important qualities. The enormous workload on a nurse during the performance of her professional duties does not always allow her to demonstrate the necessary qualities to the proper extent. Ideally, the organization of work in a health care setting should be such that knowledge, skills, competence and professional growth are expected and rewarded accordingly. Any person who decides to devote his life to medicine must understand that there are no and cannot be circumstances that would justify any unethical act.

The ethical basis of the professional activity of a nurse is humanity and mercy. The most important tasks of a nurse’s professional activity are comprehensive comprehensive care for patients and alleviation of their suffering; health restoration and rehabilitation; promoting health and preventing disease.

The Code of Ethics provides clear moral guidelines for the professional activities of nurses and is intended to contribute to the legal support of nursing activities, increasing the prestige and authority of the nursing profession in society, and the development of nursing in Russia.

To become a nurse, you must obtain secondary medical education by graduating from college or college. Throughout your practice, it is important to constantly improve your skills and increase your level of knowledge and qualifications. To do this, you need to attend nursing courses, seminars, and conferences. Having worked in this specialty for at least three years, you can receive the second category, after five years of experience - the first, after seven years - the highest.

The place of work also determines the nurse’s responsibilities.

  • · Patronage nurses work in dispensaries (anti-tuberculosis, psychoneurological, dermatovenerological and dermatovenerological), in children's and antenatal clinics. Such nurses carry out all medical procedures at home.
  • · Pediatric nurses. They can be found in children's clinics and hospitals, kindergartens, and orphanages.
  • · Nurses in the physical therapy room. Treatment procedures are carried out using various special devices: electrophoresis, ultrasound, UHF devices, etc.
  • · District nurses. Help the local doctor see patients. They receive test results and photographs from laboratories. Make sure that the doctor always has all the necessary sterile instruments ready to examine the patient. They bring outpatient cards from the registry.
  • · The procedural nurse gives injections (including intravenous ones), takes blood from a vein, and places IVs. All these are very difficult procedures - they require high qualifications and impeccable skills. Especially if a procedural nurse works in a hospital where there may be seriously ill patients.
  • · Ward nurse - distributes medications, puts compresses, cups, enemas, gives injections. She also measures temperature, pressure and reports to the attending physician about the well-being of each patient. And if necessary, the nurse provides emergency care (for example, in case of fainting or bleeding). The health of each patient depends on the work of the ward nurse. Especially if this is a seriously ill patient. In good hospitals, ward nurses (with the help of junior nurses and caregivers) care for weak patients: they feed, wash, change linen, and make sure there are no bedsores.

The ward nurse has no right against negligence or forgetfulness. Unfortunately, the work of a ward nurse involves night shifts. This is bad for your health.

· The operating room nurse assists the surgeon and is responsible for ensuring that the operating room is always ready for work. This is perhaps the most responsible nursing position. And the most favorite among those who have worked at least a little in operations.

The nurse prepares all the necessary instruments, dressings and suture materials for the future operation, ensures their sterility, and checks the serviceability of the equipment. And during the operation he assists the doctor, provides instruments and materials. The success of the operation depends on the coordination of the actions of the doctor and the nurse. This work requires not only good knowledge and skills, but also reaction speed and a strong nervous system. And also good health: like a surgeon, a nurse has to stand on her feet throughout the operation. If the patient needs dressings after surgery, they are also done by the operating nurse.

  • · The nurse of the CSC department must have good theoretical training and practical skills in using modern means and methods of sterilization of medical products, for which he undergoes regular training and advanced training in special training centers.
  • · The head nurse supervises the work of the department nurses. She draws up duty schedules, monitors the sanitary condition of the premises, is responsible for economic and medical supplies, for the maintenance and safety of medical instruments and devices. In addition to the actual medical duties, the nurse has to keep records, and the head nurse monitors this as well. She also supervises the work of junior medical personnel (orderlies, nurses, nurses, etc.). To do this efficiently, the head nurse must know the specifics of the department's work down to the smallest detail.
  • · The junior nurse cares for the sick: changes linen, feeds, helps move bedridden patients inside the hospital. Her duties are similar to those of a nurse, and her medical education is limited to short-term courses.

This is not a complete list of options for working as a nurse. Each has its own specificity. What they have in common is that, although a nurse is considered a physician's assistant, the main goal of a nurse's work is to help sick people. This kind of work brings moral satisfaction. There is no time for smoke breaks and thoughtfulness in the middle of the working day. The most difficult are the surgical departments where operations are performed and where emergency patients are admitted. The peculiarities of the nursing profession include the fact that many people in this specialty not only give injections and measure blood pressure, but also provide moral support to the patient in difficult times. After all, even the strongest person, when sick, becomes defenseless and vulnerable. And a kind word can work wonders.

The nurse must know the methods of disinfection, the rules for performing vaccinations and injections. She must understand medications and their purposes and be able to perform various medical procedures. To master the nursing profession, you need good knowledge in the field of medicine and psychology, as well as in such subjects as biology, botany, anatomy, chemistry, etc. And this is understandable, because nurses who have professional knowledge can perform their work more efficiently and effectively work, which will not only affect the well-being of patients, but also the satisfaction of nurses with their work.