NURS 6050 Week 9 Discussion: Legal and Ethical Conduct

NURS 6050 Week 9 Discussion Legal and Ethical Conduct

Nurses have a role in adhering with professional standards while in or out of the workplace, including using social media. Nursing professional standards include ethical practice, professional accountability and responsibility; client-focused service provision, as well as knowledge-based practice (Epstein & Turner, 2015). After going through my social media accounts, I found some posts that might be considered unprofessional. For instance, I had posted a photo of my patient and shared the location of the clinic. While she is my friend, people will know that she had visited the clinic. I also found a comment with my personal opinion regarding alcohol use, which may contrast professional standards. Moreover, I found a post about discontentment with a previous employer. Such information may contradict professional standards because I appear to go against my responsibility. Ethical practice necessitates not sharing details about patients, including personal information, medication, and the times they have been in the medical facility (Koocher & Keith‑Spiegel, 2019).

Reasons for Upholding a Standard of Conduct in the Profession of Nursing at Work and Personal Lives

It is imperative that nurses recognize that they have a legal and ethical obligation to always maintain patient confidentiality and privacy. Professional standards and the law prohibit nurses from electronically transmitting any patient-related image or information (NCSBN, 2019). It is not appropriate to identify patients by their name or different information through a social media post. It is essential to maintain boundaries that adhere to professional standards when using electronic media. This implies that nurses should enforce and communicate professional boundaries with nursing clients in the social media environment. In their personal lives, nurses should uphold nursing standards because this can help safeguard their career and avoid controversies that can put them in conflict with patients or coworkers.

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NURS 6050 Week 9 Discussion: Legal And Ethical Conduct

How Personal Conduct can be considered Unprofessional or Unethical or violate HIPAA

Federal law defines and reinforces privacy through the HIPAA. This legislation requires medical professionals to protect patient confidentiality and privacy. It defines individually identifiable information and explicates how this critical information might be used, the circumstances under which it may be used, and by whom. Individually identifiable information consists of any info relating to the present, future, or past mental or physical health of an individual (HIPAA Journal, 2018). It also includes information that may result in the identification of an individual. Sharing such information is unethical and unprofessional under the HIPAA.

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An example of a violation of confidentiality through the use of social media is a nurse who comments on WhatsApp

about a patient she has helped. In the context of a WhatsApp Group, the nurse and patient, who are members, may end up communicating information. The patient may say that she is feeling better after visiting the clinic, which the nurse may say that the morphine she provided will help her recover. While the nurse may not have any ill intention, she has already shared details of the patient’s medication on social media. This violates the patient’s right to confidentiality and privacy. Such conduct may lead to the nurse being reported to a board of nursing or in the media.

Areas of my Social Media Activity that reflect Christian Values

Respecting human dignity and value for all individuals is part of Christian teachings. In my social media activity, the Christian values reflected are friendship and joy. Joy is the emotion of happiness derived from a relationship with God and his people. In the case of my social media post with a patient’s photo, I was celebrating a friend who also happened to be my patient. I was showing the world that friendship is critical for every Christian. I implied that it feels great to spend time with a friend whose location, incidentally, was shared by GPS technology.

Areas of Improvement in Social Media Activity

It is necessary to improve in certain areas of social media use. First, I will stop sharing information about my personal life or opinions. Rather, I will share critical healthcare information that can help the public live healthier lives. I will stop posting any information or image about my patients. Finally, I will not post any information about my employer or workplace.

References

Epstein, B., & Turner, M. (2015). The Nursing Code of Ethics: Its Value, Its History. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 1. DOI: 10.3912/OJIN.Vol20No02Man04

HIPAA Journal. (2018, 01 10). https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-is-protected-health-information/. Retrieved from HIPAA Journal: https://www.hipaajournal.com/what-is-protected-health-information/

Koocher, G. P., & Keith‑Spiegel, P. (2019). “What Should I Do?” – Ethical Risks, Making Decisions, and Taking Action. Courses for Mental Health Professionals, 1.

NCSBN. (2019). A Nurse’s Guide to the Use of Social Media. Retrieved from NCSBN: https://www.arnnl.ca/sites/default/files/documents/Standards_of_Practice_for_Registered_Nurses.pdf

Participation: RN-to-BSN

In discussions, you, as a student, will interact with your instructor and classmates to explore topics related to the content of this course. You will be graded for the following.

1. Attendance

Discussions (graded): Discussions are a critical learning experience in the online classroom. Participation in all discussions is required.

2. Guidelines and Rubric for Discussions

PURPOSE: Threaded discussions are designed to promote dialogue between faculty and students, and students and their peers. In the discussions students:

Demonstrate understanding of concepts for the week
Integrate professional resources
Engage in meaningful and respectful dialogue with classmates
Express thoughts clearly and logically

Participation Requirement: You are required to post a minimum of two (2) times in each graded thread. These two (2) posts must be on two (2) separate days and the first post in each thread must be completed by 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday.

Participation points: If your posts do not meet the participation requirements (above) 20% points will be deducted from a thread. Each thread is graded independently. You will receive a 20% point deduction in each thread if:

your first post in each thread is not posted by 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday, OR
you do not post a second time in each thread

3. Threaded Discussion Guiding Principles

The ideas and beliefs underpinning the threaded discussions (TDs) guide students through engaging dialogues as they achieve the desired learning outcomes/competencies associated with their course in a manner that empowers them to organize, integrate, apply and critically appraise their knowledge to their selected field of practice. The use of TDs provides students with opportunities to contribute level-appropriate knowledge and experience to the topic in a safe, caring, and fluid environment that models professional and social interaction. The TD’s ebb and flow is based upon the composition of student and faculty interaction in the quest for relevant scholarship. Participation in the TDs generates opportunities for students to actively engage in the written ideas of others by carefully reading, researching, reflecting, and responding to the contributions of their peers and course faculty. TDs foster the development of members into a community of learners as they share ideas and inquiries, consider perspectives that may be different from their own, and integrate knowledge from other disciplines.

4. Participation Guidelines

You are required to post a minimum of two times in each graded thread. These two posts must be on 2 separate days and the first post in each thread must be completed by 11:59 p.m. MT on Wednesday. Discussions for each week close on Sunday at 11:59 p.m. mountain time (MT). To receive credit for a week’s discussion, students may begin posting no earlier than the Sunday immediately before each week opens. For courses with Week 8 graded discussions, the threads will close on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. MT. All discussion requirements must be met by that deadline.

5. Grading Rubric

Discussion Criteria	A (92-100%) Outstanding or highest level of performance	B (84-91%) Very good or high level of performance	C (76-83%) Competent or satisfactory level of performance	F (0-75%) Poor or failing or unsatisfactory level of performance
Responds to the initial graded threaded discussion question(s)/topic(s), demonstrating knowledge and understanding of concepts for the week based on assigned reading(s) and weekly course lesson. 32% points	Thoroughly answers the initial discussion question(s) applying experiences, knowledge, and understanding regarding all weekly concepts.	Answers the initial discussion question(s) applying experiences, knowledge, and understanding of most of the weekly concepts.	Answers the initial discussion question(s) applying experiences, knowledge, and understanding of some of the weekly concepts.	Does not respond to the initial discussion question(s). Little or no evidence of knowledge or understanding of weekly concepts.
Supports ideas and opinions with experiences and resources from assigned reading and/or textbook, and lesson. 24% points	Thoroughly supports ideas and opinions with experiences and resources that include lesson and assigned readings and may also include professional journal articles. Ideas are *credited to the source**.	Supports ideas and opinions with experiences and resources that include lesson or assigned readings that are *credited to the source**.	Satisfactorily supports ideas and opinions with experiences and resources that mention the lesson or assigned readings but source is not noted.	Little or no support of ideas and opinions with any experiences or resources.
Engages in meaningful and respectful dialogue with classmates before the end of the week. 28% points	Responds to classmates and/or instructor by name in a respectful manner speaking to the points already made by others, furthering the dialogue through clarification and additional knowledge, thereby contributing much depth to the discussion.	Usually responds to classmates and/or instructor by name and always in a respectful manner speaking to the points already made by others, furthering the dialogue and adds some depth to the discussion.	Unable to determine to whom the person is speaking but is respectful speaking to the points already made by others, but does not further the discussion.	Responds to classmates and/or instructor in a disrespectful manner or responses are not on topic causing distraction to the discussion.
Communicates in a professional manner. 16% points	Presents information using clear and concise language in an organized manner (uses accurate English grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation with minimal errors).	Presents information in an organized manner (few errors in English grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation).	Presents information using understandable language but is somewhat disorganized (many errors in English grammar, spelling, syntax, and punctuation).	Presents information that is not clear, logical, or organized to the point that the reader has difficulty understanding the message (numerous errors in English grammar, spelling, syntax, and/or punctuation).
Participation Posts a minimum of two (2) times in each graded thread. These two (2) posts must be on two (2) separate days and the first post in each thread must be completed by 11:59 pm MT on Wednesday. 20% of points are deducted per thread if this criterion is not met. A zero is the lowest score possible per thread and each thread is graded independently.	NO points added or deducted if minimum requirements are met.		Deduct 20% of points if minimum requirements are NOT met.
*Credited means stating where the information came from (specific article, text, or lesson). Example: Our text discusses…. The information from our lesson states…. Smith (2010) claimed that….. Mary Manners (personal communication, November 17, 2011)….