ETHICAL VIRTUES IN NURSING PRACTICE

Abstract

The practice of the medical profession requires the individual to adhere to norms and principles of a certain morality, imperative for all times and eras. Ethical virtues are the basis of the professional and human behavior of the nurse. They determine the way in which the nurse communicates with patients, colleagues and society, and ensure that the care provided is not only competent, but also morally responsible.
Purpose: The purpose of this publication is to study and investigate the ethical virtues, which are of importance and application in nursing practice, because they are the basis of their professional behavior and manifestation of duty to patients, colleagues and society.
Methodology: To achieve the goal, general scientific and private scientific methods and approaches were used, including documentary method, literature review, analysis and synthesis, comparative analysis.
Results: The profession of nurses, midwives and other health care professionals is based on a set of virtues. They are fundamental moral qualities that encourage ethical and responsible behavior. These inner attitudes shape the character of the nurse and transform the profession not only into a science and practice, but also into an expression of moral responsibility and humanity. Based on the analysis of ethical virtues in nursing practice, we have divided them into three groups - personal, professional and social. Their distribution into these three groups is conditional, because in most cases they are interconnected, could be replaced with each other and are complemented. In this way we understand that they are important both for the nurses’ individual development and for the social well-being of the profession. An analysis of ethical virtues has shown that their application in nursing practice is associated with a number of advantages in the relationship between nurse and patient, which is important not only for transmitting information and making ethical and autonomous decisions, but also for improving the psychological attitude of the patient. The nursing profession is communicative, and this requires these skills to be developed and maintained with conscious efforts and periodic reassessments.
Conclusion: All people deserve fair, competent and high-quality medical services and health care. The health professional-patient relationship is a key element in practice and depends on various ethical virtues, built on a foundation of mutual trust, truthfulness, integrity, respect and humaneness in health care. These are interconnected and are the basis of professionalism and good nursing practice.
Ethical virtues in nursing practice are internal attitudes that shape the character of the nurse. They give meaning to the profession and transform it not only into science and practice, but also into an expression of moral responsibility and humanity. The nurse who possesses these virtues not only provides care, but also inspires hope, peace and dignity in every patient.