Graduation  with Leadership Distinction in Research

      Nursing is one of the most highly attributed professions. It has been voted the most honest and ethical profession year after year, except for 2001 when firefighters and policeman earned the title for their bravery and courage during the 9/11 attacks. Evolution of Nursing Science (NURS 212) was a class I was required to take for my lower division prerequisites. In this class one of our topics were ethics in nursing, which also became the basis of my group’s wiki project. A wiki is a collaborative website of one or more pages that can be edited by anybody who has access to it (like Wikipedia). The basis of this project was the image of nursing. We could choose from topics such as evidenced-based practice, legal issues in nursing, nursing shortage, job opportunities, etc. My team mem   bers and I decided to do our wiki on ethics in nursing which can be very controversial, but we decided to take the chance.

 

        The main theme behind our entire project was questioning whether nurses should be terminated if they refuse to comply with the doctors’ orders if they fundamentally disagree (perhaps due to religious or personal beliefs). We focused on things such as force-feeding, abortion, the code of ethics and many other small details which may be considered unethical to some individuals. The code of ethics in relation to nursing, is used to guide nurses in their responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession.  Nonmaleficence is one of the most important ethical concepts in healthcare.  It is the requirement that the health care provider doesn’t do any harm to patients’ whether its intentional or by accident. It also requires nurses to protect those who cannot protect themselves. While completing this project, I quickly realized how important it is to stand up for what you believe in. Often many nurses conform to maintain their position, even when it goes against their beliefs. As a group, we did not believe a nurse should lose her job if they felt uncomfortable with carrying out an order if it went against their beliefs. We understand that being a nurse is difficult but ultimately decided that firing a nurse for not complying with a doctor’s orders seems a little unethical as well.

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      Learning the concepts of beneficence and nonmaleficence in NURS 212 was beneficial to help prepare me for nursing school, but I also can incorporate what I learned into research. Before beginning to work in the research lab, I was required to complete the Collaborative Training Initiative (CITI) training online which basically taught me how to properly work with human subjects in research settings. Similar to nursing, one of the main concepts reviewed in this training was “nonmaleficence” meaning that I would not harm my subjects. By completing this training, I agreed to treat my subjects with respect and dignity. As a research assistant, I realized it was important to not do anything that may infringe upon a subject’s rights and to not harm them in any way. After completing the training, I realized that this was directly related to the ethics chapter in the Evolution of Nursing.

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     Working in research requires that I keep my subjects’ information private and not disclose any information to outside sources. I must obtain informed consent, permission granted in knowledge of the potential risks and consequences, before beginning gathering data for the study. In nursing, this is very common between a doctor patient interaction, and is usually provided by a signature on a document that explains the benefits, consequences, and risk of the procedure at hand. Our female subjects had to sign a declaration of pregnancy form confirming that they were not pregnant before participating in the study. This was very important considering we were using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) machine. The DXA has been shown to be an effective measure of body composition and is considered a valid and reliable reference measure. It shows a three-dimensional model of body composition and considers bone free lean mass, fat mass, and bone mass Although there is only minimal radiation exposure, the declaration of pregnancy form protects the potential fetus from any radiation related to the study by not performing the DXA scan if the woman is pregnant.

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Another way we worked to protect our subjects in the research study was to not use identifying information on their files. Our subjects are numbered rather than using their names on the folders and stored in a locked file cabinet in a locked laboratory. Only the research assistants and professors have access the files and the student research assistants must have a professor let them into the lab. In working with my professors I learned that after data analyses for this study is completed, we will have to go through and further de-identify the files. This means redacting the following variables: variable 1, variable 2, etc. Participating in research as a student assistant has allowed me further expand the skills and qualities I will embody as a nurse. I have been fortunate enough to have this incredible opportunity that allowed me to become very comfortable with being close to subjects and helping them understand how they will participate in every aspect of the study. Ultimately, research has helped me be a more confident individual while preparing me for success in nursing school.

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