Introduction
Medical surgical practice field requires practitioners with clinical skills and specialized knowledge in order to effectively handle potential or actual health challenges affecting individuals, their loved ones, as well as the community. Medical surgical nursing widely practiced in numerous settings including acute care, ambulatory care, residential facilities, sub-acute care, residential facilities, specialty practice, insurance firms, private companies among other settings (Beaman, 2011). Medical surgical practitioners collaborate and consult with the client so as to identify the expected outcome. It is the responsibility of the practitioners to intervene, evaluate and implement the client’s responses in order to accomplish the desired outcomes. In so doing, medical-surgical practitioners should remain sensitive, nondiscriminatory, nonjudgmental respectful to the client’s gender, age, lifestyle, and cultural diversity.
The Tenets of medical surgical professional codes
Medical surgical practitioners face numerous ethical dilemmas since the medical practice is based on the fact that clients have the responsibility and right to make decisions about their lives. However, sometimes the choices of clients do not reflect the value of wellness and independence. Surgical medical practitioners take care of clients whose lives stand a chance of being compromised by advances in technology within the health system. Conflicts often arise between individual rights, the family members’ rights, generally accepted technological and scientific treatment methods as well as the economic realities (Morrison, 2006). In such cases, ethical codes of conduct are warranted.
Medical surgical practitioners should intervene in a way that promotes the client’s quality of life. The quality of life depends upon the resources that the client has at disposal. Medical surgical practitioners should promote awareness to the community by preventing diseases or injury. As practitioners, they should support policies and activities leading to beneficial application of material, human and financial resources (Beaman, 2011). It is the responsibility of medical surgical practitioners to apply organizational, advocacy, educational, and advisory skills in facilitating the development of community services and public policies that enhance the well-being of the members of the society. Ethical codes of medical surgical practice demands practitioners to identify parameters in accordance with professional standards of practice, relevant Acts, and personal competencies.
Medical surgical practitioners should know that every patient is unique and that dignity and respect are every person’s basic rights. It is the responsibility of the practitioners to protect the basic human rights in every phase of the practice. Since surgical medical practitioners are advocates of the patients, they should always report incidents of abuse of the rights of clients as well as illegal, unethical and incompetent practices in order to maintain ethical behavior.
Ethical Theories implicated
Morality ethical theory is among the most implicated by the medical surgical practice. According to morality theory, actions of medical surgical practitioners are right if they only maximize positive outcomes. The consequences of medical practitioners should always maximize well-being and pleasure of the clients at all times (Lammers & Verhey, 1998). In a nutshell, actions of medical surgical practitioners should aim at minimizing the suffering, health hazards and potential perils facing the patients. The morality ethical theory guides medical practitioners in making important decisions affecting the lives of clients’. It provides guidelines on what is right or wrong in the medical practice at all times. Wholeness of character theory that addresses the integration of professional values and personal competencies is widely applied in medical surgical practice (Lammers & Verhey, 1998). According to this ethical theory, medical practitioners should bring their expertise from education, reading and clinical experience to remain relevant. These theories have far-reaching implications within the medical surgical field due to their assertions. All medical surgical practitioners should clearly understand and integrate the morality and wholeness of character theories in their practice because they are important in shaping their ethical behavior.
How my View Has Been Impacted
In my view, surgical medical practitioners act as direct care givers in collaboration with other healthcare experts. They are responsible for providing proper, efficient and effective healthcare. Medical surgical practitioners’ effectiveness is dependent upon practice setting, educational background and clinical experience. Certainly, few transgressions by my colleagues revolving around the current technology and treatment modalities have impacted my view about ethics in the medical field. As a result, I have learnt that medical surgical practice requires unique skills and knowledge (Morrison, 2006). In order to be effective in practice, medical surgical practice should base their judgments as well as decision-making on thorough research, scientific theory and specific medical knowledge. In addition, medical surgical practice has made me believe that the quality of life depends upon the resources that the client has at disposal. Medical surgical practitioners’ collaboration and consultation is inevitable in ensuring quality service delivery at all times. Practitioners should support policies and activities leading to beneficial application of material, human and financial resources. It is the responsibility of medical surgical practitioners to apply organizational, advocacy, educational, and advisory skills in facilitating the development of community services and public policies that enhance the well-being of the members of the society.
References
Beaman, N. (2011). Pearson’s comprehensive medical assisting: Administrative and clinical competencies. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson.
Lammers, S. E., & Verhey, A. (1998). On moral medicine: Theological perspectives in medical ethics. Grand Rapids, Mich: William B. Eerdmans Pub.
Morrison, E. E. (2006). Ethics in health administration: A practical approach for decision makers. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.