dd

Professor’s Comment:

The referencing and citing of scholarly work is mandatory to support the idea that is being presented in the participation discussion. ALL peer responses require an in text citation, a reference, and 6 or more sentences. References should be between 2018 to 2022.

Post 5:

Though taking care of my spirituality is a priority in my life, I must always remember that not everyone will share the same spiritual care as me and most importantly that not everyone will share the same worldview as me (Isaac, etc. 2017). I believe that one of my greatest strengths is solely that; recognizing that everyone will have a different perspective and way of living. Such acknowledgment allows me to have no expectations from my patients and leads to me treating them with an open mind until they tell me otherwise. Another strength of mine is remaining as objective as possible within the nurse-patient relationship. I always remember that I’m not here to tell my patients anything about my personal life, including my beliefs, but I am here to listen and understand theirs. In situations in which patients are curious to know anything personal, I am good at redirecting patients' questions back toward them.

Furthermore, I believe that one of my weaknesses may be my nonverbal communication such as my facial expressions and body language when I encounter patients with worldviews that completely differ from mine. For instance, I had this one patient who in his worldview was okay to beat his wife. I found out this information weeks after taking care of him and naturally I made this facial expression of disgust and animosity. I know it sounds horrible, but I provided excellent care to this patient and did nothing that would mean otherwise. I could not help to react to such a hardhat was done by someone who I thought seemed respectful toward women. Though as nurses, understanding the patient’s perception of their illness can aid the clinical development of appropriate treatment plans (Evans, 2020), I learned to accept that everyone has a past and different worldviews but at the end of the day, such aspects should not determine the quality of care the individual receives because after all, our priority as nurses is to treat the symptoms. To answer the last question, If I were the patient and still conscious of making my own decisions, then I would have the final say in terms of ethical decision-making and intervention in the event, God forbid, of a difficult situation. In the context that I am not, then I would leave my responsibility to the next of kin who would probably be my mom or one of my brothers

References:

Evans, K. A. (Ed.). (2020). Interventions, Ethical Decision-Making, and Spiritual Care. Practicing Dignity: An Introduction to Christian Values and Decision Making in Health Care (1 ed.). Retrieved from  https://www.gcumedia.com/digital-resources/grand-canyon-university-/2020/practicing-dignity_an-introduction-to-christian-values-and-decision-making-in=health-care_1e.php

Isaac, K., S., Hay, J.L., & Lubetkin, E.I. (2017, June 1). Incorporating Spirituality in Primary Care. Journal of Religion Health, 55(3), 1065

Post 6:

What people consider spiritual care varies for everyone. A nurse cannot just assume what the term ‘spiritual’ means for the patients. In fact, many find spirituality an abstract term with an abundance of different meanings throughout literature (Oliveira de Góes & de Oliveira Crossetti, 2020). As for myself, when it comes to facilitating spiritual care as a nurse to those with different beliefs than my own, I do my best to actively listen to patients, their wants and needs, and most importantly, what in their life they have to live for. A weakness behind this is that I do not delve further into the patient’s spirituality and sometimes forget to put it into the assessment conclusions. I often do not have time in the position I work in to expand upon the spiritual needs of the patient as I work in triage. I do, however, since taking this class, always try to mention there is a chaplain they can speak with during their inpatient stay. 

If I were patient, I would want the final say in any ethical decision-making and intervention in the event of a difficult situation. Although I am ashamed to say I have not made a living, this is what I would want to do. In it, I would indicate physician orders for life-sustaining treatment and what I would want to be done in the case of a persistent vegetative state (Singleton, 2021). I would give a copy to family and have a copy in my medical records. Not only would I want as much autonomy as possible, but I would not want to leave those decisions to family or friends as I am sure they would be in enough emotional turmoil. 

References 

Oliveira de Góes, M. G., & de Oliveira Crossetti, M. da G. (2020). Developing a spiritual care model for patients and their relatives in illness. Revista Gaucha de Enfermagem, 41, 1–10.  https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1590/1983-1447.2020.20190150 

Singleton, A. (2021). Why all adults should have a living will. American Associations of Retired Persons (AARP). Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/financial-legal/info-2019/what-is-a-living-will.html#:~:text=A%20living%20will%20is%20a,you%20do%20not%20need%20to.