Question:

Question 1 – Discussed therapeutic relationships. Also, compared the different types of therapeutic and personal relationships.

You did not mention any relevant Australian nursing codes or identify ethical issues in relation to nurse-patient relationships.

It did not address legal issues or pertinent legislation. Written expression needs work.

Question 2 – The majority was very difficult to follow.

I did not discuss the law’s view of the power imbalance, nor the laws responsible for it.

Not able to identify ethical issues or cite Australian nursing codes.

Question 3 – Extremely difficult for you to understand and mark the section of your work because it is written.

However, he did refer to relevant documents but didn’t identify any ethical issues.

Question 4 – Extremely difficult for you to understand and mark this section. This is because of the written expression.

Australian nursing codes support the discussion about how you would reply.

It was unclear whether the legal aspects of gift-giving were clearly defined or which legislation was relevant.

Answer to Question: NURS1006 Introduction To Professional Practice

1.Nurse/Patient Relationship

The nurse-patient relationship focuses on the interaction that nurses have with their patients. This helps them to improve their patient’s health and well-being.

Clients and nurses can both learn and mature over the course of a relationship like this.

This example illustrates a healthy therapeutic relationship.

Both parties agree on the tasks required to achieve the client’s goals.

This relationship is built upon mutual respect and trust and nurturing hope, building a good reputation, and showing empathy towards the client (Benbenishty & Hanink 2015 p.77).

Nursing staff also display sensitivity towards patients, and they are sensitive to their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. 2017, p. 10).

This interpersonal relationship can be improved to help the client progress and recover, which will result in better health outcomes and greater patient satisfaction.

Although the nurse-patient relationship is regulated through professional standards and codes of ethic that are framed in Australia by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia, personal relationships are guided and governed by beliefs and personal values (NMBA 2010.

In order to provide the best possible care, a nurse should follow a pre-established plan.

Contrary to this, personal relationships are usually interest-directed and based on enjoyable experiences.

The National Law (section39) has established guidelines that nurses must follow in order to practice good medicine (Medical Board of Australia).

The NMBA Code of Ethics also states that nurses are responsible for respecting the diversity of patients, making informed decisions, showing kindness, ethical information management, and providing quality nursing care to all of them (NMBA 2010, p.3).

These codes are different from personal relationships.

2. Power Operation

In other words, power refers to the dominance of authority or control.

Proper use of power is necessary for the establishment of a relationship.

Unequal power is demonstrated in the nurse-client partnership.

A nurse’s specialized skills, knowledge, access and capacity for patient advocacy make them more powerful and have greater influence. (Gilmour & Huntington 2017 p.183).

For clients to be able to access health benefits, nurses need to have specialized clinical knowledge (Dinc & Gastmans 2013, p.510).

They use this power in a compassionate way which allows them foster relationships and meets client needs.

They can also use this power in order to interact directly with patients.

However, abuse can occur when such power is misused (Ters&Yima 2014, page 17).

An imbalance in power can lead to violations of sexual boundaries.

The NMBA standards limit the occurrences such as power imbalance by imposing codes that instruct nurses to refrain from using confidential or their power to create disavantages for patients (NMBA 2010, p.6).

These power imbalances are also considered notifiable conduct in the National Law (Medical Board of Australia),

3.Importance of Boundaries

The NMBA standards stipulate that professional boundaries reduce client vulnerability and enable clients to use power in a more responsible manner.

These standards say that nurses must provide holistic care to their clients. They should be kind to them, respect their dignity, and acknowledge the powerlessness and vulnerability they have to help (NMBA 2010, p.1).

These boundaries preserve the space between powerlessness and vulnerability for the client and the nurse.

These boundaries are used to mark the boundary between therapeutic relationships and personal relationships within care settings.

One of the most serious issues is loss in trust due to sexual misconduct.

According to section 1.4, the National Law says that patient safety should always be the first concern of doctors. For a good working relationship, doctors should exhibit honesty, integrity and compassion.

Additionally, section 8.2 states that professional boundaries are an integral part of such relationships (Medical Board of Australia).

4. Immediate Actions

I don’t think it is appropriate for me to accept the present from Mr. White. If I did, I would politely decline and tell him that my professional standards were violated.

I fully understand that receiving gifts or involving in financial transactions could compromise my professional relationship.

Although I accept gifts such as chocolates or flowers, the board requires me to follow the policy of the organization to fully understand the official declaration to have accepted gifts (NMBA 2010 p.5).

In order to decide whether Mr. White’s gift is acceptable, I will ask my supervisor.

I would not wish to upset his feelings and refuse the gift.

So, I think it’s important to abide by the NBMA standards and follow my supervisor in this context.

Refer toAtkins, K., De Lacey, S., Britton, B. & Ripperger, R., 2017.

Australian nurses can learn ethics and law from the Australian lawyers.

Cambridge University Press Australia. pp.8–31.Benbenishty, J. & Hannink, J.R., 2015.

Building a Nurse-Patient relationship for the best outcomes.

International Journal for Human Caring. 19(4). p.77.Dinc, L. & Gastmans, C., 2013.

Trust in nurse/patient relationships: A literature search.

Nursing Ethics, 20(5).Gilmour, J. & Huntington, A., 2017.

In the practice of nursing, power and politics.

Contexts for Nursing: An Introduction.

Medical Board of Australia 2011, Sexual Boundaries – Guidelines for doctors, viewed December 7, 2017.

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (2010) A nurse’s guide to professional boundaries. viewed 7/12/2017

Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 2010, Code of Professional Conduct, for Nurses, viewed 7/12/2017.Ters, A. & Yima, T., 2014.

The power imbalance is a barrier to shared decision making. BMJ, 348, p.17.