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- QUESTION
- Assignment: select a topic relevant to interprofessional leadership and the health care field on which to focus :
Topic: Whistle blowing
Write a 2 page paper on the significance of this topic (based on literature that speaks to the relevancy of the concept selected in terms of interprofessional leadership)
Reference
- Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2015). Leadership roles and management functions in nursing: Theory and application (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. ( PAGES 126-127 )
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| Subject | Administration | Pages | 3 | Style | APA |
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Answer
Today’s health service providers practice in very complex environments. This complexity may lead to value conflicts that create the need for whistle blowing. Whistle blowing is the act of reporting poor practice. It can be an internal disclosure which entails reporting wrong actions to an authority within the organization or external disclosure which involves reporting to an outside agency such as a professional organization. When episodes of poor practice or service provision are identified, it is frequently nurses who are the whistleblowers. It is therefore critical for nurse leaders to responsibly demonstrate and support moral and ethical courage. This essay will look at inter-professional ways of cultivating moral courage that would ensure bad actions are reported.
Whereas nursing is the moral center of healthcare and gives the true image and inspiration of ethical care and compassion, the concept of ethical conflict arises when one knows the morally right thing to do, but cannot, due to organizational constraints. The culture of inter professional leadership therefore requires skilled communication, true collaboration and effectual decision making in order to encourage nurses willingness to report actions that are not proper for patient care (Marquis & Huston, 2015). Similarly, leaders who consider more than rule and policies, who displays not just hardiness but also determination and who is self directed towards what is ethically right routinely demonstrate acts of moral courage. Education and training greatly improve a leader’s willpower to proceed in the face of difficult circumstances that require whistle blowing.
In instances of ethical conflicts, leaders can create cultures that support acts of courage in nursing, this would encourage whistle blowing where necessary. The American Organization of Nurse Executives advocated for the creation of beneficial work environments that support moral courage by identifying principles such as competence, credibility and expertise, for nurse leaders to integrate into membership organizations (Zolnierek, 2012).
Verbal acting that involve using ones voice to advocate for an action may also alleviate ethical conflicts through reporting of actions that might jeopardize the rights and safety of patients. Courage to speak up is supported by most state nurse practice acts that require them to act out their professional duty as agents of patient safety while maintaining a professional practice boundary and protect patient rights (Moor, 2015).
Finally, to influence inter-professional teams, it is critical to interpret the work of nursing into familiar terms in order that everyone understands the implications of their actions or areas of responsibilities on patient outcomes. Whistle blowing is necessary for it ensures that actions that may endanger a patient’s care are guarded against.
References
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Marquis, B. L., & Huston, C. J. (2015). Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins. (pages 126-127) Moor, A. (2015). BLOWING THE WHISTLE ON BAD PRACTICE. Nursing Standard, 30(15), 22 -23. Zolnierek, C. D. (2012). Beyond Rhetoric. Supporting Patient Advocacy in Nursing Practice. Perioperative Nursing Clinics, 7 (Advocacy), 379-387. Doi:10.1016/j.cpen.2012.08.009.
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