Running head: ETHICAL CONFLICTS FOR THE NURSE MANAGERS

Ethical Conflicts for the Nurse Managers

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Ethical Conflicts for the Nurse managers

Introduction
Nurse Managers handle overseeing the working of nurses in health care institutions to
ensure that patients receive the required nursing services. Nurse Managers at all levels come
together to ensure that they address adoptive ideas, emerging trends and work toward quality,
excellent and efficient goal achievement. They not only provide guidance and leadership on
service delivery in health organization but also contribute to the organizational success. In their
daily operations, nurse managers are faced with many challenges stemming from the top
management or even their field of work. According to Gaudine and Beaton (2002), the four top
challenges are voicelessness, the rights of nurses against the rights of the organization, where to
spend the money and the unjust practices of the organization. The paper discusses two of the
main challenges that face nurse, manager. They include the rights of nurses against those of the
organization and the unjust practices of the organization.
The rights of nurses against those of the organization
Nurse Managers are highly concerned with all nursing staff, and they pose concern on
issues like benefits, salaries and career advancement opportunities for nurses. Organization, on
the other hand, has the goal of increasing profitability of the institution rather than the needs of
their employees (Gaudine and Beaton, 2002). Since the organization employs the nurses, there is
a conflict that emerges due to the two issues pertaining the objective of the organization and the
rights of the individuals. Nurse Managers as the pathway between the nurses and the top
management, therefore, face a challenge of balancing the needs and rights of the organization
with those of the nurses who look upon them. Nurse Managers are an employee of the
organization and have to work in line with the goal and needs of the organization where they

Ethical Conflicts for the Nurse managers

employed. They also have an obligation on the nurses since they address the needs of the nurses
to the top management of the institution.
The data showed that mostly policies support the legal needs of the hospital as opposed to
the nurses and patients needs of the healthcare institution. The nurses are therefore restricted to
work in accordance with the stated policies making them lose their meaning and purpose on the
part of the nurses and patients. The Nurse Manger is also compelled to make decisions that serve
the requirements of the healthcare facility that have negative implications for the nurses they
represent. They therefore find themselves in a dilemma where they have to make decisions that
may risk their employment and those of other nurses.
The unjust practices of the organization
Nurse Mangers also face a challenge on the issue where the group embraces practices that
are not just on the nurses who work in these institutions. Policies for promotion and termination
of the nurse managers are unfair since they become determined by the organizations. It is,
therefore, to foresee a future promotion or demotion in the field of nurse management. For Nurse
Managers whose considerations highly rely on ensuring the rights of the patients and the nurses
they represent are upheld, they risk demotion and possible termination of their role in the
organization. The workloads for nurses and Nurse Managers are in most cases unfairly instituted.
The senior management fails to act on a given issue even when they are aware of the problem
leaving the Nurse Managers to encounter the problem. There is a punitive policy for absenteeism
for Nurses and the Nurse Managers are underpaid. The data also collected show that the board of
directors seems to have no interest and information on the issues effective the patients and the
nurses.

Ethical Conflicts for the Nurse managers

Action plan to overcome the two

One of the ways that the Nurse Managers should use to overcome the challenges includes
encouraging support from other Nurse Managers, staff nurses, public and hospital administrators.
According to the survey done by (2002), coordination of the groups listed can help ensure that
the injustices and unfairness done by the organization are reduced and further eliminated. The
Nurse Managers should also involve themselves in developing and presenting proposals to the
organizations with all their needs and complaints as nurses being addressed in the proposal for
consideration. The proposition may help solve the problem that the Nurse Managers face in
balancing the needs of the nurses and those of the organization. Finally, Nurse Managers should
ensure that they dwell on the positive actions when the problems are being addressed by the
administration. The Nurses managers should encourage the participation of all nurses in their
work regardless of the administration's practices.
Conclusion
The survey shows that being a Nurse Manager is quite a task. The people in those
positions have to act on the basis of their professionalism and ethics in ensuring that the two
parts they represent have their issues well addressed. Nurses management subjects the nurse
managers in many positions of dilemma where the choice of the group to represent become
determined by their choices given the situation at hand. It is, therefore, a great concern on the
part of the Nurse Manager to ensure those nurses and organizations needs get addressed in the
best way possible.

Ethical Conflicts for the Nurse managers

References
Gaudine P. Alice & Beaton R.M (2002). Employment To Go Against Ones Values: Nurse
Managers Accounts of Ethical Conflict with Their Organizations. 34(2),m 17-34.