Personal Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Ethics - Essay Example Values also play a key function in shaping the influencing the behaviour and decision-making among professionals. In nursing practice, the personal, spiritual and cultural values contribute to their philosophy and worldview of nursing. The personal, cultural, and spiritual values that have contributed to my philosophy and worldview of nursing revolve around my experiences, family background and the society I grew up in. I was born and raised in the US and right from an early age, it was drilled into me that I should give my all in everything I laid my hands on. My parents also insisted on the same and this noble value became my inspiration, motivation and source of my nursing philosophy; that is, to uphold a high professional integrity and an ethically competent nursing practice. As a nurse, I have made it a point in my daily practice to give my best when caring for patients and their families. The personal values that have shaped my philosophy and worldview of nursing are responsibi lity and integrity. I have learned to take personal responsibility for everything I do and say and take the blame, however hard it is. Taking responsibility has helped me maintain the hardwork mindset inbuilt in me and has motivated me to be consistent with my actions and principles. From my cultural background, I have learned that honesty and humility are important stepping-stones to success and I have learned to be humble and honest to my patients to the most practicable extend. This has helped me attain a good professional relationship as it encourages them to open up and cooperate. As a Christian, I hold a high regard for respect for all people and in every situation. In my nursing profession, I always ensure that I act respectfully towards my patients and their families in order to show to them that they matter greatly and that they are not just another patient or customers of healthcare. Apart from these, the value of doing unto others as I would love them to do for me has als o been of great importance in shaping my philosophy and worldview of nursing. As a nurse, I always give my patients the same quality of care I would love to be given if I were in the same situation as them. All these values act as the motivators and drivers behind my efforts to attain my nursing philosophy. Just as outlined by Scanlon and Glover (1995), these values have served as my guide for developing an ethically competent nursing practice. In nursing practice, values refer to enduring beliefs held by nurses regarding the worth of their patients, professional ideas and practice whereas morals refer to rightful way of conduct that is expected of nurses as they interact with their patients and their families. Ethics on the other hand refers to the moral principles/values governing personal conduct that is important to the practice of professional nursing (www.scribd.com, 2010). As a nurse, my personal values, philosophy, and worldview may conflict with my obligation to practice wh enever this obligation is guided by a principle that conflicts with my values, philosophy and worldview and requires that I act contrary to or compromise them. The result of this is an ethical dilemma. Some of the important morals that one is likely to face in the nursing field is that of respecting the autonomy of patients, obtaining informed consent before medical procedures, causing them least or no harm and seeking to attain more good for the patient. Some of the expected moral dilemmas include the

DNA Evidence and Procedures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

DNA Evidence and Procedures - Essay Example Though DNA is used by the body to create the physical characteristics of hair color, eye color, and height, it can only be used to match a suspect to a sample and can not determine their physical characteristics. Advances in DNA technology have revolutionized forensic science since its introduction in the mid 1980s. It is used to bring evidence against a suspect as well as exonerate innocent people. As investigators, law enforcement is generally concerned with a few key issues with respect to DNA evidence These issue involve maintaining the integrity of the evidence and the credibility of its evidentiary value. These are: The crime scene is the first line of defense in maintaining credible DNA evidence. To minimize the possibility of contamination the incidental activity must be reduced at the crime scene. Only critical personnel should have any initial access until all samples are collected. According to the President's DNA Initiative (2007), "It is important for all law enforcement personnel at the crime scene to make a conscious effort to refrain from smoking, eating, drinking, littering or any other actions which could compromise the crime scene". In addition, it is suggested that all first responders be trained in DNA collection and preservation techniques. Investigators must tediously search for small amounts of DNA evidence available at the scene. This may be small blood spatters, hair, skin tissue evidence found under fingernails, and clothing that contains body fluids. Suspects may be swabbed for saliva or DNA may be obtained from an object they have contacted. In the case of rape or sexual assault, the Department of Justice guidelines dictate that, "...evidence that may be inside or on a victim's body should only be collected by a physician or sexual assault nurse examiner" (Understanding DNA evidence, 2007). Initial contact with an assault victim should stress the importance of not changing clothes or showering before evidence can be collected. Evidence needs to be clearly labeled and identified as to where and when it was collected in a manner that will maintain a proper chain of custody. Samples should be kept dry and need be sealed to prevent contamination and stored at room temperature to prevent degradation (President's DNA Initiative, 2007). The National Institute of Justice mandates that evidence that may contain DNA should not be placed in plastic bags as plastic retains moisture which could damage and degrade the DNA sample (What every law enforcement officer should know about DNA, 1999). Direct sunlight and heat can also damage samples and it is recommended that the sample be transported as quickly as reasonable to an appropriate storage area. It is recommended that long-term storage be maintained only by a qualified facility or laboratory. In the 2003 Summit Report, the National Institute of Justice warned, "If law enforcement officers, medical personnel, and crime lab technicians are not trained to recognize, collect, preserve, transport, and store DNA evidence, then its use may be compromised or even invalidated". Maintaining the integrity of the DNA evidence is vital if it is to have any value in the courtroom. Contamination is the greatest threat to the usability of DNA evidence. DNA evidence runs the risk of being contaminated when DNA from