Personal Ethics Statement
Margot Rivera
HCS 478 Health Law and Ethics
November 26, 2012
Barbara Scheibe

Personal Ethics Statement
The values that I find significant influences and foundations for my life are honesty, reliability, and respectability. I express these values both professionally and personally by living straightforward, truthful, and keeping promises to family and friends. Values were emphasized and taught to me early in my childhood by a male dominant, Catholic, Hispanic family. My father was a self-educated man who worked diligently to acquire the few comforts he could afford my family. Supporting a large family of seven children made it impossible to be extravagant or irresponsible with finances or in personality. Watching my parents struggle to support the family and working together as a team educated me in the ways of accomplishing goals with good communication, teamwork, and creativity to benefit the entire family. I sought to keep those values in my relationships with friends, coworkers, and family as I grew up and found that I could accomplish more and receive more personal satisfaction when I kept true to my word and commitments.
Each definition of personal ethics is different depending on who you ask; however, I see personal ethics as steadfast rules or beliefs that guide each person in decision-making and what defines a personality. During the many years I have worked in the emergency room, I have encountered many situations that left me conflicted and struggling to keep true to my personal values and ethics. Such situations usually involved end of life decisions and care for a dying patient or family member. The struggle centered on how to best serve the patient and keep true to my beliefs. When a dying patient would ask for truth about their diagnosis and prognosis, I had an excessive amount of difficulty in delivering the reality of his or her situation and causing more pain to an already incapacitated patient. As a nurse I want always to be a source of comfort and aid to patients but especially to dying ones. Losing a loved one is a devastation that all families struggle with and my part in the process has been to be honest and trustworthy with whatever information I relayed to the patient or family. I empathize with those enduring end of life struggles and let my conscious be my guide when taking care of dying patients. I make sure to respect my patient’s wishes in how his or her final moments occur. I advocate for my patient with honest answers and information that I have available. In doing so, I keep my promises to myself and my patient while maintaining my commitment to my values and work ethic. Treating all patients with respect and dignity at all times is at the core of what I have come to expect of myself when administering bedside care.
I value honesty, reliability, and respectability because of the benefits that come from applying such ethics in personal and professional relationships. It is only when individuals establish honest and respectable relationships that positive results are produced. Benefits such as strong personal connections, support from coworkers and family, acceptance from others, and love can be achieved to help individuals become successful and happy. I have vowed to make sure to uphold my beliefs and always remain loyal to them so that I can achieve the goals I have set for work and home. I understand that it is a constant working progress to remain steadfast to my core values which has sustained me through the most difficult periods of my life.
Each day, I strive to keep my personal values intact and stay dedicated to them. When I am working I remind myself of the golden rule of doing unto others that is a great part of those ethics I find significant. I go to work each day with a prayer that comforts me and gives me hope that each day I do my best to make a difference with all those I come into contact with. I am mindful of telling the truth tempered with gentleness, treat each person with the same respect I expect of others, and to keep the promises I make. Practicing these virtues makes me a better nurse and demonstrates a deeper level of understanding to my patients, colleagues, and family. Self- talk methods help me to reevaluate difficult moments and allow me to take the time I need to look at things from a different perspective. This assists me to keep striving to honor the values that I hold so important in my life. I continue to practice and improve the ways that I can remain loyal to my beliefs and I hope that by doing so I honor my father’s influences.