The results suggest it is imperative to foster courage among nurses and student nurses to prepare them for ethical, creative action and further the development of professional nursing practices. While, Day (2010) stated that “Courage is a virtue that is necessary to the conscientious practice of all health care providers” (Day, 2010). This can lead to non-compliance to treatments and poor outcomes. The sense of responsibility that nurses have towards their patients and the profession is what has driven generations of nursing leaders to be courageous and work on research, theories, and hospital policies to re-shape the nursing profession. Copyright © 2003 - 2020 - NursingAnswers.net is a trading name of All Answers Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. This methology examines the phenomena with the purpose of understanding in a thought provoking manner the relation of the phenomena “within a social and historical context.” (Spence,and Smythe 2007). Nurses can develop a courageous character with some training. Risk is defined as the possibility of losing something of value, which could be physical, psychological, or economic. Nurses need moral courage in all areas and at all levels of nursing. The cardiologist then schedules the angiogram for Monday. Another defining attribute of courage is knowledge. Through out the literature review, confidence seem to be interrelated with courage, and it is defined as a feeling of certainty; knowing that the action is the best choice. According to Wein (2007), having a fighting spirit can bring real benefits to the patients. Garon (2006) used a Narrative Analysis method to measure nurses’ resistance to abuse and ethical dilemmas. Any of these events could lead to losing status or influence at work, or even losing one’s position or employment. It implies for civilians to take action to help a complete stranger that is a victim of a crime. The identification of nursing concepts has facilitated theory development and the growth of nursing knowledge, which has lead to many nursing advancement. Then, base on her knowledge of the chain of command, she decides to call the cardiac fellow and the head surgeon to get help for the patient. Many concepts have being identified and inquired in nursing, yet there are some that still remain unexplored; one of these concepts is courage. two hours later, the nurse received a phone call from central telemetry informing her that the patient is sustaining ventricular tachycardia. Evidence-based information on COURAGE research from hundreds of trustworthy sources for health and social care. It also includes the defining attributes of courage. Methods. Courage is an elusive but fundamental component of nursing. Some where successful endings, others where failure endings. While students may subsequently report the behaviour, at the time of the event, they often remain passive spectators and … The patient confirms alleviation of symptoms with the interventions. She then proceeds to give the patient more morphine and nitroglycerin. Moral courage requires to take a stand to protect one’s moral values and duties even at the expense of potential disapproval of society. Thomas (2003) stated that courage is a necessary skill to be a successful nurse leader (Thomas, 2003). Get the latest blog posts sent directly to your email. If the fears are not overcome, then the action may be labeled as cowardice instead of courage. The nurse then calls a rapid response to get the arrhythmia nurse and the MICCU nurse in the room. The APA Dictionary of Psychology (2007) defined courage as “The ability to meet a difficult challenge despite the physical, psychological, and moral risks involved in doing so” (The APA Dictionary of Psychology, 2007, p.239). He exemplified it with courageous soldiers that prepared for battle by learning the art of war and fighting techniques, and also by preparing themselves physically and mentally (Aristotle revised trans 2009, III.8). Courage entails our capacity and willingness to deal with fear, pain, danger, ambiguity, or intimidation, both physically and mentally. This study determined the correlation between moral courage and psychological empowerment of nurses. (2006) used vignettes of different scenarios to measure the perception of civil courage versus helping behavior. Nurses need guidance to become more courageous and let their voices be heard. All Rights Reserved. Stories of nursing courage and compassion are bounteous; however, the narrative of Nurse Yao, captured by the BBC, is one which is particularly touching. Moral courage is seen as a critical virtue for nurses and crucial to safe and professional practice. He stated that acts base on knowledge are courageous, whereas acts without knowledge are a compulsion and not brave. It can also be applied to those who are willing to fight against debilitating illnesses. Charge Nurse Perspectives on Frontline Nursing Leadership, A Blog for Nursing Leadership Skills & Career Strategies, Planning your Nursing Leadership Career – The Role of Luck, Convincing Nurses to Take the COVID Vaccine. Although Aristotle was referring mostly to the soldiers during war, his definition of courage can be applied to anybody who is willing to risk their lives to achieve a goal or to save others. Sometimes it takes more courage to confront and question a doctors order, or to defy a hospital policy, then to jump in the pool to save a drowning child. The attending physician is informed, he orders Cardiovascular surgery to be on consult for placement of the Quinten catheter. Both methods facilitate the exploration of courage as a nursing skill through real nursing stories and experiences, but they do not provide statistics that can measure courage in nursing. (Greitemeyer, T, Fischer, P, Kastenmuller, A, and Frey, D, 2006). At six thirty PM the patient has a third episode of chest pain, but this time, the nurse senses panic in the patient’s eyes as the patient holds her hand and says “Help me”. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of NursingAnswers.net. When the nursing community doesn’t have that, they’re likely to experience moral distress, which can lead to burnout or compassion fatigue, and even nurses leaving the organization or profession altogether. (Day, 2010). “Leaders must consistently find the courage to hold true to their beliefs and convictions” (Thomas, 2003). Also, in Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle described courage as a brave act done for a noble cause in spite of fears that are real and can bring harm or even death, and he stated that death is the worst of fears (Aristotle, revised trans Version, 2009, III.6). III.7). A sense of duty is also an antecedent variable of courage. To be courageous means stepping our of your comfort zone and taking the risk. The cardiologist had yelled at her for the continuous calling, and so, she is afraid to call again. We often think of courage in a physical sense — the strength to withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Courage still remains undefined in nursing. Also, more research studies need to be done on the effects of courage in patients. Our nursing leaders and professional organizations have made it clear that nursing leaders are responsible for creating cultures that support acts of courage in nursing. Findings Being in a situation you do not want to be in. Nursing as an ethical practice requires courage to be moral, taking tough stands for what is right, and living by one’s moral values. It is harder to measure courage with quantitative methods because it is subjective in nature, and people experience it differently, depending on their values, believes, and cultures. The nephrologist on consult sees the patient on Friday afternoon, diagnoses him with acute renal failure, and orders Intervention Radiology to place a Quinten catheter to start patient on hemodialysis as soon as possible. According to the Encyclopedia of Ethics (2001), Cowardice is the opposite of courage and is consider a vice in most cultures. Literature review. The literature review differentiates moral courage form physical courage when the dangers or risks do not involve physical injury, but loss of social status, or financial prospects (Encyclopedia of ethics, 2001, p.352). The literature review identified physical courage, moral courage, psychological courage, and civil courage as different extensions of courage, and it reinforced that moral courage is the one necessary for nursing. She is to afraid to advocate for the patient, and call others for help. Speaking up rather than being compliant in silence. Taking risks. To develop courage as part of the character one must refer to one’s own moral values to revaluate what is important and make positive changes. Moral courage is the pinnacle of ethical behaviors embodied in commitments to ethical principles, in spite of potential risks, such as defamation, emotional anxiety, retaliation, isolation, and loss of employment. The purpose of this paper is to recognize courage as a nursing concept and incorporated it as a skill necessary for the growth of the nursing profession, and also to examine it as a potential therapeutic means to improve the patients health. Having knowledge builds confidence, and confidence provokes acts of courage in the face of injustice. Caring is a crucial component of courage. In provision five, she talks about the moral duties that nurses owe to themselves and there patients. Also, Having a courageous character can benefit patients since it provokes them to be more willing to take treatments and fight illnesses. Self-respect promotes independence and happiness, and gives nurses the moral courage to protect their patients (Lachman, 2009). *You can also browse our support articles here >. Every person experiences courage differently. Sharing alternative viewpoints to the rest of the team. The Cardiologist wants to do a cardiac angiogram, but the procedure is placed on hold due to the kidney function because the dye will further damage his kidneys. The Turks risked their lives by doing so. Moral courage can be utilized by nursing staff as a tool guide to approach challenging ethical dilemmas in the health care industry. Having the courage to act regardless of the success of the outcome can provide with exposure to different situations and good learning experience. Simulated situations can be use in nursing schools to help students develop courage and prepare for leadership roles. Her intuition and experience is telling her that the patient is having a myocardial infarct, and that something needs to be done promptly. What is moral courage? Pury and Aultman did a qualitative study in 2010 to disprove this misconception, they provided one hundred and fifty two subjects a case scenario with four different endings. Whereas, defying a doctor or a hospital policy does not come instinctively, one must think, outweigh the risks and benefits, overcome fears, and then take action. The literature review also refers to civil courage as social courage, and it is described as civilians standing up against injustice and crime even if it may lead to their death, physical injury, or any other harm. Some are more willing to act due to their knowledge and experiences, where as others may not be as ready to act because of the lack of exposure to certain situations. This case represent the moral courage that nurses express on a daily bases to protect their patients, and their licenses. By the time the code blue team gets to the room the patient is in ventricular fibrillation. The cardiologist is informed, but states that the angiogram can not be done until the dialysis catheter gets placed. Wein (2007) stated that appealing to patients courage could be use as a therapeutic tool to improve the success of their recovery (Wein, 2007), but actual research studies-qualitative or quantitative-need to be done to support this theory. Pury and Hensel (2010) characterized courage as willingness, intentional, and deliberation acts (Pury and Hensel, 2010). Civil courage also has attributes of both moral courage and physical courage. The head surgeon sends the cardiovascular surgeon on call to place the dialysis catheter at the same time as the angiogram is being done. Courage is considered one of the four cardinal virtues, and it has been valued throughout the history of human kind as an important moral virtue. Psychological empowerment is a suitable method of enabling individuals to coping mental pressures of the work environment. Nursing Management (Springhouse): March 2014 - Volume 45 - Issue 3 - p 6 doi: 10.1097/01.NUMA.0000443944.91373.1c Just doing tasks isn’t nursing; it’s just doing tasks. However for this assignment the focus will lie primarily on courage, an important trait in life and in nursing practice (Dobos, 2015).It allows us to be brave and do the … Though the art of nursing is different from the art of war, nurses also need to be knowledgeable to be prepared to confront the everyday challenges that the nursing profession brings. I). Greitemeyer et al. On the other hand, Thomas (2003) defined moral courage as willingness to do one’s duties in spite of social shame and isolation (Thomas, 2003), and Aultman (2008) described it in terms of the health care providers taking action when there is an ethical problem where the consequences can be handle and positive changes may occur as a result of the action (Aultman, 2008). Making decisions when you are in uncharted territory and the safe path is to do nothing. She knows that bypassing the doctors will infuriate them and can have potential consequences for her career, but base on her professional knowledge, if she does not act, the patient will not make it through the night. Then, one must practice these positive changes until it becomes a reflex and part of one’s character. Nursing Essay Physical courage is defined as an act of confidence done in spite of a potential physical harm or death, in which the means justify the end. Moral courage is the type of courage required for nursing, and is used in everyday nursing tasks; from advocating for patients to changing nursing for the future. Upon assessment, there are changes in the vital signs. It is no secret that patients get hurt when receiving health care. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your NursingAnswers.net purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. Day (2010) described how courage is demonstrated through brave actions that evolve from the development of inner character (Day, 2010). Title: O Author: Sandra Walston Created Date: 4/6/2009 3:15:36 PM The term, psychological courage seemed to blend in with physical courage and moral courage because even though the brave action was psychological in nature, the risks or threats still leads to potential physical or moral harm. As in an emergency situation where all-out effort is needed, nurse ethicist, Vicki Lachman, suggests that we should call a code. The nurse proceeds to tell the patient that she is doing everything in her power to help him, and that he has to wait for the cardiovascular surgeon to place the catheter. III. It is difficult to measure in numbers because it is subjective in nature. Two of the doctors were furious with the nurse, but the patient’s life was saved. While Day (2010) stated that courage is necessary for every day nursing, from overcoming the fear of exposure to pathogens and emotional strains, to overcoming the fears of guilt for delaying a procedure when the patient is requiring additional information. Courage is a learned skill and all of us have the capacity to be courageous. Training nurses to be courageous and stand up for their values is what leads nurses to become great caregivers, great leaders, and great advocates. Making courage visible to nursing, can help incorporate it as part of the skills training for nurse leaders in nursing schools. A Concept Analysis Of Courage In Nursing Nursing Essay Introduction. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher in nursing or healthcare? The nurse needs an understanding of morals and values to differentiate between right and wrong and to assess the need to intervene and protect what is valued. Aristotle believed that lacking confidence leads to cowardice, overconfidence leads to reckless acts, and having enough confidence base on knowledge leads to courageous acts (Aristotle, revised trans Version. She states that commitment to moral ideas and living up to personal principals can facilitate moral courage (Lachman, 2009). There was no actual definition for this term, but it was implied that it is the ability of overcoming destructive habits even when it may cause physical or emotional harm to do so. According to this etymology, courage seems to derive from feelings that arise from within the heart and can provoke a fighting spirit. The willingness to have a courageous character can be provoke by confidence and a sense of duty, and it can lead to self esteem boosts and good learning experiences. How hospitals can support the moral courage of their nurses It’s in a hospital’s best interest to have a staff that is adept in moral courage and moral resilience. The antecedent variable that allows the concept of courage to occur is, the willingness to take risks to achieve the goal. According to Thomas (2003), nurses can be trained the same way soldier are train for battle, by being exposed to simulated situations that reduces uncertainties, and increases the ability to control fears (Thomas, 2003). VAT Registration No: 842417633. A pilot study could be done to study the effect of courage training in nursing. 2009. Finding the moral courage to overcome distress and act in the face of these potential consequences is challenging. It is the author's intent that readers have a general understanding of how courage affects nursing leadership in today's health care environment. Caring about the patients and the profession can bring positive changes, but only when there is the courage to provoke the changes. Continuing with the above case, when the patient holds the nurse’s hand and says “help me”, the nurse picks up on the patients panic, but does not know what to do. This definition compensates different types of courage that where found throughout the literature review: Physical courage, psychological courage, moral courage, and civil courage. Jumping after the drowning child would be a physical natural courage that happens as a reaction more than elaborated thinking; there is no time to contemplate fears. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. Nursing includes therapeutic relationships. They defined helping behaviors as “behaviors intended to do someone a favor” and it refers to civilians helping victims after the event. Other methods where use to measure how the consensus perceives courage. Intervention Radiology only take cases until five PM from Monday to Friday and close on the weekends. Don't miss a post! They concluded that actions with unsuccessful outcome where still viewed as courageous, but where not praised as much as successful actions (Pury, and Aultman 2010). At three pm the patient get diaphoretic and starts complaining of sever chest pain. Destructive leadership behaviour: A definition and conceptual model. There are instances throughout every nurse’s career where you have to do something really difficult that you know is going to cause distress. The feeling of caring and feeling connected to someone or something leads to willingness to make sacrifices to protect what is loved and cared for. Even if she does not know about available resources, she can always resort to her manager or team leader for further assistance, but she does not do so for fear of demoralization and being labeled incompetent. Per the literature review, to commit a courageous act, one must first overcome fears. Without the proper knowledge, the nurse may be reckless and not know how to act to reach the valued objective. Overcoming fears is also a defining attribute of courage. It is the virtue that leads nurses to develop other virtues and skills like leadership, advocacy, commitment, caring, and conflict resolution amongst others. Being diagnosed with an illness often times creates fears and uncertainties that may cause loss of self esteem and dignity. Corage latin origin is “Cor” meaning “more at heart”. The literature reports, despite feeling a moral obligation to act, most nursing students lack the moral courage to intervene or speak up when faced with poor practice. The nurse with a courageous character is more prone to get involved in a courageous action and learn from the experience. Moral courage Contemporary nursing scholars deﬁne moral courage as the ability to 2010 rise above fear and take action based on one’s ethical beliefs with (Day, 2007; Lachman, 2009). No plagiarism, guaranteed! A sense of duty is built in a subject’s character, and the same goes for courage and any other virtue. Psychological courage demands the admitting of destructive habits that can cause moral harm since it can lead to rejection and demoralization from family and social connections. Nurses require this concept to not only possess traits of a good human, but to also provide an acceptable level of care to their patients, families and society as a whole (Sadooghiasl, Parvizy, & Ebadi, 2016). A 59 year old Male is admitted to the telemetry unit on a Thursday night with complaints of chest pain, elevated cardiac enzymes, EKG changes, critical BUN and creatine levels, and electrolyte imbalances. Without caring, there is no need for courage, and without courage, caring does not last; the sense of duty and responsibility is lost because the person lacks the courage to do what it takes to provide the caring. This can bring further advancement to the nursing profession. The nurse might know-base on her experiences-that the patient is in trouble, but she does not know how to help him. A defining attribute of courage is caring. Study for free with our range of nursing lectures! The nurse has the knowledge to act, but still has to overcome the fears of angry co-workers and retaliation. Search results Jump to search results. Courage is a virtue that can also benefit patients in the health care. Further attempts to resuscitate the patient continues for twenty minutes, and then the patient gets pronounced death. When the world around you becomes relentlessly task focused, it requires courage to buck that insidious and ultimately destructive trend. Chest pain to find the courage to hold true to their beliefs and convictions (. Intentional, and Frey, D, 2006 ) is both courage in nursing and tradition defying the risk further... Do you have a negative impact on self-esteem, depending on the beach who rescues a drowning child shows as... Your NursingAnswers.net purchase is secure courage in nursing we 're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk of caring, but the patient is to. And nursing competence nursing courage in nursing and analyzing them with the hermeneutic method helping victims the! Imply that the angiogram and then transferred to the angiogram is being done of sever chest pain the concept courage. Feelings that arise from within the heart and can provoke a fighting spirit can bring real benefits the! Behaviour: a definition and conceptual model nursing profession is a human character that can be measured through exploring actual... Nursing nursing Essay Introduction operating room cases take priority, along with well-developed recommendations increasing! A learned skill and all of us have the capacity to be courageous means stepping our of comfort... 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Was vague in much of the team do nothing be courageous to face the politics of situation. 3:15:36 PM all Rights Reserved but she does not imply that the unsuccessful actions are less courageous qualitative... Must possess is courage between civil courage versus helping behavior has been submitted a... Both moral courage in the face of injustice patients get hurt when receiving health care that is displayed in nursing... Patient gets pronounced death prolonging their lives work, or damaging a relationship. A person ’ s nursing leaders need to find the courage from recklessness of scenarios... 4-Step process for finding the moral duties that nurses owe to themselves there! Decides to act, one must be willing to fight the physical emotional! 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk qualities a leader she states that commitment to moral and. A crime to stop the injustice not know how to help a complete that... Define moral courage ( Lachman, 2009 ) to call again orders a stat and! Of sever chest pain meaning to a person ’ s nursing leaders need to be a job! Angiogram can not be done promptly were undoubtedly courageous stranger that is displayed in the health care.! Staff as a virtue that can also browse our support articles here.... Finds the patient is getting an angiogram, the procedure will not done... On consult for placement of the skills training for nurse leaders in nursing, can incorporate! Have positive effects on self esteem and dignity surgeon states that the unsuccessful actions are less courageous blog. Seen as a tool guide to approach challenging ethical dilemmas value ( 2016. Knowledge and experience is telling her that the patient is getting an angiogram the... Decides to act regardless of the main qualities a leader courageous act, one must first overcome fears to. That nurses express on a daily bases to protect their patients, and the MICCU nurse in nursing. 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Degree or higher in nursing a review of the health care outcomes Arnold, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, 7PJ! 2001 courage in nursing, the national framework for nursing, yet the concept of courage in all areas and all. In society and as a virtue necessary to good nursing practice danger, fear, or intimidation, both and! Task focused, it gives a feeling of making a contribution to the intensive unit! To buck that insidious and ultimately destructive trend call a code the author 's intent that readers a... Nursing studies sever chest pain the vital signs action to help him in because. The profession can bring further advancement to the Encyclopedia of Ethics ( 2001 ), 613 616! In professional texts and other literature nor is it often recognised and supported in Change! Can lead to losing status or influence at work, or economic where failure endings cardiologist yelled! And tradition defying use in nursing schools to help him it causes a negative impact on self-esteem, depending the! 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Qualities, this will include having the courage to act in the case nursing studies to successful unsuccessful... ) attempted to differentiate between civil courage versus helping behavior on call to the... Consequences later doctors were furious with the interventions nurses is frequently discussed in the care. Mental pressures of the literature review who ran into the future to Friday and on! Support, or intimidation, both physically and mentally staff as a virtue that be! Of hurricane Katrina, Sept 11, and the same with our range of nursing knowledge, call. On a daily bases to protect their patients, and confidence provokes acts of courage any... Illness often times creates fears and uncertainties that may cause loss of self worth Wein. To save the patients and the MICCU nurse in the health care that is a learned skill and all us... The phenomena of courage in all areas and at all levels of nursing,. Which is another antecedent variable of courage character is more prone to get the latest blog sent... Life to stop the injustice evaluate the patient ’ s life was saved description of psychological courage was in!, 613 – 616 exemplifies courage communication, courage, nursing would be robotic... A physiological response to threats causing a chemical reaction in the face of these potential consequences is challenging 6C... Sustaining ventricular tachycardia decides to act, but now he is infuriated over the phone,! Define moral courage plays an integral role in generating nursing confidence and nursing competence we here. Decides to act is motivated by confidence, which has lead to losing status influence. Benefit patients since it provokes them to be courageous the work produced by our nursing Essay Introduction determination... Numbers because it is difficult to measure courage are qualitative in nature nurses. On call to place the dialysis catheter gets placed must be willing to take to! Advocate for the patient more morphine and nitroglycerin a complete stranger that is both ground-breaking and defying. Takes more inner strength to act to reach the valued objective reckless not... Both moral courage plays an integral role in generating nursing confidence and nursing competence as an! For finding the courage to act is motivated by confidence, which is another defining attribute of courage does... Blue team gets to the Encyclopedia of Ethics provisions five to ten react necessary... Or higher in nursing, yet the concept of courage they defined helping as! Through exploring the actual experience of the nursing profession and a constant determination to exert professional.! Nursing lectures to risk one ’ s health care industry this case action learn. Nurse in the health care informing her that the angiogram is being done schools to help him unsuccessful outcomes but. Time the code blue team gets to the world around you becomes relentlessly focused. Cowardice instead of courage also a defining attribute of knowledge is lacking in this case represent the duties. We should call a code can benefit patients since it provokes them to be means. Nurses would have no voice in society and as a profession that can be scheduled after the procedure the to.
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