NURS FPX 6080 Assessment 2 Reflection on Nursing Core Values and Ethical Standards

Name

Capella university

NURS-FPX6080 MSN Practicum: Professionalism in Person-Centered Care and the Workplace Environment

Prof. Name

Date

Reflection on Nursing Core Values and Ethical Standards

Nursing practice is anchored in ethical principles, professional standards, and evidence-informed clinical judgment that collectively ensure safe, compassionate, and patient-centered care. Foundational values—including integrity, accountability, compassion, and respect—shape interactions with patients, families, colleagues, and healthcare systems. These values also influence leadership styles and contribute to a positive organizational culture. When consistently applied, ethical standards strengthen professional identity and enhance healthcare outcomes (Grace et al., 2024).

In addition, professional frameworks and organizations reinforce these expectations by emphasizing advocacy, equity, lifelong learning, and clinical excellence. As healthcare environments grow more complex, nurses must integrate technical proficiency with ethical responsibility. Reflective practice serves as a critical tool, enabling nurses to assess their decisions, refine clinical reasoning, and maintain alignment with ethical standards.

Reflection on My Professional Identity and Nursing Core Values

My identity as a nursing professional is shaped by three core dimensions: clinical expertise, ethical responsibility, and therapeutic engagement. The American Nurses Association (ANA) highlights that professional identity in nursing is grounded in ethical practice, advocacy, lifelong learning, and service (American Nurses Association, 2025). This identity requires a commitment to safeguarding patient dignity, protecting rights, and advocating across both individual and systemic levels.

As a future advanced practice clinician, I will be responsible for complex decision-making, effective communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration. My goal is to translate nursing values into measurable behaviors that foster trust and improve patient outcomes.

How Do I Demonstrate Core Nursing Values?

Core Value	Application in Practice
Integrity	Conducting transparent consent discussions and maintaining accurate records
Altruism	Prioritizing patient needs and supporting team members
Inclusivity	Delivering culturally sensitive care and using interpreter services
Compassion	Practicing active listening and providing emotional support
Courage	Reporting unsafe practices and escalating concerns appropriately
Humility	Seeking feedback and acknowledging knowledge gaps
Advocacy	Addressing social determinants such as cost and access barriers
Caring	Ensuring comfort measures and effective patient education
Autonomy	Respecting informed decision-making and patient preferences
Social Justice	Supporting equitable policies and unbiased care delivery

(Mohamed & Abdelrahman, 2025)

What Are My Professional Strengths?

Key strengths that support my professional development include:

• Strong ethical decision-making abilities

• Commitment to patient safety and quality care

• Cultural competence and respectful communication

• Effective interdisciplinary collaboration

• Dedication to continuous learning

NURS FPX 6080 Assessment 2 Reflection on Nursing Core Values and Ethical Standards

How Do I Support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)?

I incorporate DEI principles into clinical practice through several approaches:

• Adapting education to patient literacy and language needs

• Utilizing interpreter services appropriately

• Applying structured tools to minimize bias

• Respecting cultural values in care planning

• Linking patients with relevant community resources

• Promoting inclusive communication within teams

These strategies help operationalize DEI principles, transforming them into meaningful clinical and organizational outcomes (Morrison et al., 2021).

Professional Organizations That Reflect Nursing Values

Professional organizations are essential in shaping ethical practice, leadership development, and professional identity in nursing. They provide guidance, resources, and opportunities aligned with core nursing values.

Which Organizations Best Represent Nursing Values?

Organization	Contribution to Nursing Practice
American Nurses Association (ANA)	Ethical guidelines, advocacy, and policy leadership
Sigma Theta Tau International (Sigma)	Advancement of research, leadership, and scholarship
International Council of Nurses (ICN)	Global standards and workforce advocacy
American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)	Support for advanced practice, education, and policy

(American Nurses Association, 2025; Sigma Global Nursing Excellence, 2025)

Engagement with these organizations offers:

• Continuing education and certification opportunities

• Access to evidence-based clinical resources

• Leadership development programs

• Advocacy platforms

• Mentorship and networking opportunities

Active participation enables nurses to contribute to broader system improvements and uphold ethical, patient-centered care.

Reflection on Modeling Ethical Behavior in Nursing Practice and Leadership

Ethical nursing practice is guided by principles such as beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, justice, fidelity, confidentiality, and accountability. These principles inform both clinical decisions and leadership behaviors. Nurses demonstrate ethical conduct through accurate documentation, informed consent, and patient advocacy (Cheraghi et al., 2023).

Leaders reinforce ethical standards by establishing clear expectations, addressing safety concerns promptly, and fostering shared governance. Ethical leadership also requires humility, collaboration, and recognition of team contributions.

How Should a Nurse Respond to Unethical Behavior?

A structured response to unethical conduct includes:

• Ensuring immediate patient safety

• Interrupting unsafe practices when necessary

• Documenting objective facts

• Using SBAR communication to escalate concerns

• Filing incident reports as required

• Seeking ethics consultations

• Supporting affected individuals emotionally

• Promoting education and system improvement

(Noh & Park, 2021)

A restorative approach, rather than a punitive one, supports long-term improvements by encouraging transparency and learning.

Reflection on Mentoring for Professional Growth and Accountability

Mentorship is a key component of nursing practice, fostering skill development, confidence, and accountability. My experience includes mentoring new staff through clinical teaching, simulation exercises, and quality improvement initiatives.

What Mentoring Strategies Are Most Effective?

Strategy	Purpose
SMART goals	Define clear and measurable objectives
Competency checklists	Track skill development
Bedside teaching	Apply real-world clinical learning
Simulation training	Prepare for high-risk scenarios
Immediate feedback	Reinforce strengths and correct errors
Reflective discussion	Enhance critical thinking and accountability

(Noh & Park, 2021)

Creating psychological safety is essential in mentorship. Encouraging open dialogue, normalizing mistakes, and modeling accountability promote a supportive learning environment.

What Outcomes Result from Effective Mentorship?

• Enhanced clinical competency

• Increased confidence among new nurses

• Improved documentation accuracy

• Greater engagement in leadership activities

• Participation in quality improvement initiatives

• Readiness for certification and advanced roles

(Kay et al., 2022; Gates et al., 2021)

Evaluation of Strategies and Methods for Effective Peer Review

Peer review is critical for maintaining professional accountability and improving clinical performance. Effective approaches combine objective evaluation tools with constructive feedback mechanisms.

Which Peer Review Methods Are Most Effective?

Method	Strength
Structured rubrics	Promote consistency and fairness
Direct observation	Capture real-time clinical performance
Chart audits	Identify documentation issues
Simulation debriefing	Provide safe learning environments
Team feedback	Highlight communication gaps
Electronic systems	Monitor trends and outcomes

(Bagheri et al., 2025)

What Challenges Exist in Peer Review?

Common barriers include:

• Limited time and staffing

• Defensive responses to feedback

• Potential reviewer bias

• Lack of contextual understanding

• Overreliance on checklists

To enhance effectiveness, organizations should train reviewers, maintain confidentiality, and align peer review outcomes with quality improvement initiatives (Grace et al., 2024).

Reflection on Evaluating Care Team Members and Their Impact

During a four-week initiative in a medical-surgical setting, I participated in evaluating interprofessional handoff communication. Methods included structured observation, SBAR-based assessments, chart reviews, and debriefing sessions. Identified gaps included incomplete information transfer and communication inconsistencies.

Targeted interventions involved coaching, demonstrating structured communication, and reinforcing standardized handoff approaches.

What Improvements Resulted from the Evaluation?

Outcome	Impact
Streamlined handoffs	Reduced delays and confusion
Improved accuracy	Fewer follow-up clarifications
Enhanced communication culture	Increased psychological safety
Standardized processes	Sustained improvement in practice

(Gates et al., 2021)

This experience enhanced my ability to deliver constructive feedback and strengthened team collaboration.

Conclusion

Reflecting on nursing ethics, mentorship, peer review, and team evaluation highlights that professional identity is continuously shaped through practice and accountability. Ethical conduct, inclusive leadership, and evidence-based strategies contribute to improved patient outcomes and stronger healthcare systems. Engagement in professional organizations further supports ongoing development and advocacy. Ultimately, nurses who uphold integrity, compassion, and accountability play a vital role in advancing high-quality care.

References

American Nurses Association. (2025). Ethics and human rights. https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/nursing-excellence/ethics/

Bagheri, S., Sedigh, A., Zarei, Z., Kazemzadeh, M., & Sharifi, N. (2025). Comparison of a mini-clinical evaluation exercise with the routine logbook in assessing clinical competence of operating room trainees: A parallel randomized controlled trial. BMC Medical Education, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-025-07560-6

Cheraghi, R., Valizadeh, L., Zamanzadeh, V., Hassankhani, H., & Jafarzadeh, A. (2023). Clarification of ethical principle of beneficence in nursing care: An integrative review. BMC Nursing, 22(89), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01246-4

NURS FPX 6080 Assessment 2 Reflection on Nursing Core Values and Ethical Standards

Gates, C., Goff, L., & Thomas, L. (2021). Reinventing the handoff process: Bringing standardized bedside report to perioperative services. Journal of PeriAnesthesia Nursing, 36(4), e12–e13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jopan.2021.06.041

Grace, P. J., Peter, E., Lachman, V. D., Johnson, N. L., Kenny, D. J., & Wocial, L. D. (2024). Professional responsibility, nurses, and conscientious objection: A framework for ethical evaluation. Nursing Ethics, 31(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330231180749

Kay, S., Unroe, K. T., Lieb, K. M., Kaehr, E. W., Blackburn, J., Stump, T. E., Evans, R., Klepfer, S., & Carnahan, J. L. (2022). Improving communication in nursing homes using Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles of an SBAR training program. Journal of Applied Gerontology, 42(2), 194–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/07334648221131469

Mohamed, H., & Abdelrahman, M. (2025). Professional competency and moral courage among staff nurses. BMC Nursing, 24, 2–11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-025-03197-4

Morrison, V., Hauch, R. R., Perez, E., Bates, M., Sepe, P., & Dans, M. (2021). Diversity, equity, and inclusion in nursing: The pathway to excellence framework alignment. Nursing Administration Quarterly, 45(4), 311–323. https://doi.org/10.1097/NAQ.0000000000000494

NURS FPX 6080 Assessment 2 Reflection on Nursing Core Values and Ethical Standards

Noh, G. O., & Park, M. J. (2021). Effectiveness of incorporating Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) methods into simulation-based education for nursing students: A quasi-experimental study. Nurse Education Today, 109, 105252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2021.105252

Sigma Global Nursing Excellence. (2025). Home. https://www.sigmanursing.org/