Who Acts? Self-Identity and Moral Courage in Nursing

Nurses who work in critical care face a unique array of ethical decisions in the course of their practice. This study aimed to examine the source of the ethical decision making of individual nurses using a virtue ethics framework as a starting point. The design used a philosophical hermeneutic approach based on the writing of Paul Ricoeur to provide an interpretation of the ethical decision making process of nurses. Six nurses currently practicing in intensive care were interviewed, with the transcripts of the interviews used as texts which were analyzed using the concepts of distanciation and appropriation taken from Ricoeur. The results revealed the main themes of time, experience, and communication, which were related to self-identity as the basis of ethical decision making

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Nursing (MN)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Nursing

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2015

Author dc:creator

• Poules, Roy Jeffrey

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Raffin Bouchal, Shelley
• Oberle, Kathleen
• Estefan, Andrew

• Nursing

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

eng

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/28704

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:11023/2231