{"title":"Are Nurses Free to Be Moral Agents? Revisiting the Moral Foundation of Nursing in Uncertain Times.","authors":"Connie M Ulrich, Christine Grady","doi":"10.1097/ANS.0000000000000591","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In 1986, Yarling and McElmurry published a provocative article in Advances in Nursing Science that challenged the notion of nurses as moral agents. They argued that the hierarchical structure of hospitals, which placed physicians at the center of decision-making, limited nurses' autonomy and ethical agency. While nurses today continue to face complex ethical challenges, significant strides have been made. Nurses are now widely recognized as moral agents whose primary commitment is to their patients, families, and communities. This essay underscores the central role of moral agency in ethical nursing practice. To fully support this role, healthcare institutions must foster environments that respect and empower nurses. This includes recognizing their contributions to patient safety and quality care, and ensuring they have the resources needed to navigate the evolving demands of modern nursing.</p>","PeriodicalId":50857,"journal":{"name":"Advances in Nursing Science","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Advances in Nursing Science","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1097/ANS.0000000000000591","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In 1986, Yarling and McElmurry published a provocative article in Advances in Nursing Science that challenged the notion of nurses as moral agents. They argued that the hierarchical structure of hospitals, which placed physicians at the center of decision-making, limited nurses' autonomy and ethical agency. While nurses today continue to face complex ethical challenges, significant strides have been made. Nurses are now widely recognized as moral agents whose primary commitment is to their patients, families, and communities. This essay underscores the central role of moral agency in ethical nursing practice. To fully support this role, healthcare institutions must foster environments that respect and empower nurses. This includes recognizing their contributions to patient safety and quality care, and ensuring they have the resources needed to navigate the evolving demands of modern nursing.
1986年,Yarling和McElmurry在《护理科学进展》(Advances In Nursing Science)上发表了一篇挑衅性的文章,挑战了护士是道德代理人的概念。他们认为,医院的等级结构将医生置于决策的中心,限制了护士的自主权和道德能动性。虽然今天的护士继续面临复杂的道德挑战,但已经取得了重大进展。护士现在被广泛认为是道德代理人,其主要职责是为病人、家庭和社区服务。这篇文章强调了道德机构在伦理护理实践中的核心作用。为了充分支持这一角色,医疗机构必须营造尊重护士并赋予护士权力的环境。这包括承认他们对患者安全和高质量护理的贡献,并确保他们拥有驾驭现代护理不断变化的需求所需的资源。
期刊介绍:
Consistently ranked as one of the most-read and most assigned journals by faculties of graduate programs in nursing, Advances in Nursing Science (ANS) is intellectually challenging, innovative and progressive, and features articles from a wide range of scholarly traditions. The journal particularly encourages works that speak to the need for global sustainability and that take an intersectional approach, recognizing class, color, sexual and gender identity, and other dimensions of human experience related to health. Articles in ANS are peer-reviewed and chosen for their pioneering perspectives and for their significance in contributing the evolution of the discipline of nursing.