According to the American Nurses Association, the pledge was named after Florence Nightingale, who is considered the founder of modern nursing. In the pledge, nurses promise to uphold the Hippocratic oath, do no harm, practice discretion and be dedicated to their work as a nurse.
I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.
And in fact, although "first, do no harm" is attributed to the ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, it isn't a part of the Hippocratic Oath at all.
Historical Role, Function and Purpose
The reason of implementing the Pledge as an honorable oath for the nurses was to make sure that the ideal nurse is created in front of all so that they can follow the ethical grounds of the field of nursing (Veatch, 2000).
Modern medical ethics consider four deontological principles: autonomy, justice, non-maleficence, and beneficence.
Of note is that, in the modern version of the oath, there is no prohibition against abortion; there is no promise by the physician to “do no harm” or never give a “lethal medicine” as in the original Hippocratic Oath.
In the oath, the physician pledges to prescribe only beneficial treatments, according to his abilities and judgment; to refrain from causing harm or hurt; and to live an exemplary personal and professional life.
The 7 ethical principles the Nursing Code of Ethics is based upon include beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, accountability, autonomy, fidelity, and veracity. The following are brief descriptions of each of the ethical principles.
Nurses and other healthcare professionals don't take the Hippocratic Oath, though they may make similarly aligned promises as part of their graduation ceremonies. One such alternative: the Nightingale pledge, a document written in 1893 and named in honor of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.
The notion “do no harm” embodies the medical ethics principle of “non-maleficence”, that is to refrain from doing any harm first, before doing any good.
Ensuring patient safety is at the heart of the Hippocratic Oath: First, Do No Harm. As the nation's largest payer for health care, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) mission in our National Quality Strategy includes ensuring everyone is safe when they receive care.
The Hippocratic Oath is one of the oldest and most widely known codes of ethics. The original text is attributed to Hippocrates, a Greek physician commonly credited with beginning the practice of medicine as a rational science.
I pledge myself loyally to serve my King and Country and to maintain the honour and efficiency of the Australian Army Nursing Service. I will do all in my power to alleviate the suffering of the sick and wounded, sparing no effort to bring them comfort of body and peace of mind.
Blessing of the Hands is a universal healthcare tradition, believed to have been started by Florence Nightingale in the 1800s. It is a symbolic gesture to remind nurses their hands should deliver compassionate care at all times.
Let us pray for the wonderful things they do!
Give their efforts success for the glory of Thy holy Name. It is Thy work: without Thee, they cannot succeed. Grant that the sick Thou hast placed in a nurse's care may be abundantly blessed, and not one of them be lost because of any neglect.
Legal Accountability:
Nurses are personally accountable by law for their actions and/or omissions and have a legal obligation to provide care within their Scope of Practice.
Gossips, in general, aren't limited to the four walls of the hospital. In fact, there are nurses and doctors who gossip over social media, too. Most of the time, unfortunately, these gossips involve not only their co-workers but their patients' medical conditions as well.
“Nurses are dedicated to being truthful. Patients are then able to trust the nurse in a therapeutic relationship throughout their care.
Etiquette in nursing. It means the rules for the behaviour or the good manners the. professional people to practice. Nurses should follow some rules for. their good behaviour.
The ethical principles that nurses must adhere to are the principles of justice, beneficence, nonmaleficence, accountability, fidelity, autonomy, and veracity.
During the 1990s, the Hippocratic Oath fell out of favour and now none of the 12 medical schools in Australia and New Zealand use it. In its place, several have adopted or modified the Declaration of Geneva, which was written in 1949 by the World Health Organisation.
Hippocratic Oath: One of the oldest binding documents in history, the Oath written by Hippocrates is still held sacred by physicians: to treat the ill to the best of one's ability, to preserve a patient's privacy, to teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation, and so on.
It promises never to act “contrary to the laws of humanity.” Another, a 1964 oath penned by Tufts University School of Medicine Dean Louis Lasagna, MD, emphasizes prevention over cure and a more holistic approach to medicine.