Core Values of

Nursing in Conducting
Health Assessment

WMSU

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What are your Core Values?
 Core Values are the fundamental beliefs of a
person or organization. These guiding
principles dictate behavior and can help
people understand the difference between
right and wrong. Core values also help
companies to determine if they are on the
right path and fulfilling their goals by creating
an unwavering guide.

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 A competent nursing school instills in its
students, core values that will carry them
into their future careers.

https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/core-values-of-nursing/

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Which VALUES should every student
nurse have?
EMPATHY – empathy is the nurse’s ability to
understand, be aware of, be sensitive to , and
vicariously experience the feelings, thoughts and
experiences of the patient and their family. It is the
nurse’s ability and willingness to “tune in” and focus on
the patient’s experiences that is fundamental to the
methods nurses use to manage care. Empathy is
based upon respect for the dignity of the client and an
appreciation for the independence and self-
actualization of the patient.
https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/core-values-of-nursing/
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CARING - involves knowing and trusting the
patient, an interest in their growth and well-
being, honesty, courage, and humility. A
caring nurse knows that he or she does not
know all there is to know about the patient,
and projects the confidence and patience to
help them maintain hope or the sense of
continued possibility for growth and change.
Caring involves the planning and provision
of culturally sensitive and appropriate care.

https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/core-values-of-nursing/
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COMMUNICATION – the exchange of
thoughts, messages, or information is of
vital importance to the nursing process. A
nurse uses communication skills – speech,
signals, writing, and behavior – during
patient assessment, as well as the
planning, implementing, and evaluating of
nursing care. A nurse communicates with
patients, families, groups, and members of
the health care team.
https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/core-values-of-nursing/
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TEACHING – one of the most important role of a nurse is
to assist patients and their families with receiving
information necessary for maintaining a patient’s optimal
health. A nurse provides patients and families with
information that is based on their assessed learning
needs, their abilities, their learning preference, and their
readiness to learn. Fundamentals to the provision of
patient education is a nurse’s belief that patients have the
right to make informed decisions about their care. Nurses
provide information that is accurate, complete, and
relevant to client needs. A nurse often clarifies
information provided by other members of the health care
team.
https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/core-values-of-nursing/

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CRITICAL THINKING – nurses are constantly
involved with making accurate and
appropriate clinical decisions. A nurse must
question, wonder, and be able to explore
various perspectives and possibilities in order
to help the patients. Nurses that engage in
critical thinking reflect on past experiences,
think independently, take risks based on
knowledge, persevere in the face of difficult
problems, are curious, creative, ethical.

https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/core-values-of-nursing/
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PSYCHOMOTOR SKILLS – fundamentals to nursing
is the “ laying on of hands” to provide comfort, and
the use of specific skills to accomplish client
assessment and to provide and evaluate nursing
care. Nursing skills are utilized in a manner that
maximizes client comfort and dignity, or optimizes the
client’s ability to respond positively, provides the
highest level of accuracy of information, and provides
for the most favorable patient outcomes.
Psychomotor skills are best learned through practice
after achieving an understanding of the basic
principles of skills as part of a nurse’s education.

https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/core-values-of-nursing/
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ETHICAL AND LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS –
a nurse plans, provides, and evaluates
nursing care guided by specific ethical and
legal boundaries. The Code of Ethics for
Nurses provides the ideal framework for safe
and correct practices and behavior. Nurses
who clarify their values are enhanced in their
ability to practice ethically.

https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/core-values-of-nursing/

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PROFESSIONALISM – professionalism involves the
characteristics of a nurse that reflects his or her
professional status. These characteristics involve
behaviors with regards to self, patient, others, and the
public as they reflect the values of the nursing profession.
Professional personas are knowledgeable in their subject
matter, conscientious in their actions and responsible for
themselves and others. Written standards for practice
and professional performance guide the behaviors of
professional practitioners. Nurses enhance their
professionalism by understanding history, educational
choice, professional research and theory, and their
professional organizations and standards.

https://www.goodwin.edu/enews/core-values-of-nursing/ 11
 5 Core Values of Nursing

• Core nursing values essential to

baccalaureate education include human
dignity, integrity, autonomy, altruism,
and social justice.

Fahrenwald, N. L., Bassett, S. D., Tschetter, L., Carson, P. P., White, L., &
Winterboer, V. J. (2005). Teaching core nursing values. Journal of professional
nursing : official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 21(1),
46–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.profnurs.2004.11.001

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 The 6 Cs
• The 6Cs – care, compassion, courage,
communication, commitment, and
competence – are a central component of
Compassion in Practice, which was drawn
up by National Health Service (NHS)
England chief nursing officer Jane
Cummings and launched in December
2012.

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• Core values of nursing include altruism,
autonomy, human dignity, integrity,
honesty, and social justice.

The Essentials of Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice.

2016. http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-resources/BaccEssentials08.pdf.

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• The search yielded 10 nursing ethical
values: Human dignity, privacy, justice,
autonomy in decision making,
precision and accuracy in caring,
commitment, human relationship,
sympathy, honesty, and individual and
professional competency.
Shahriari, M., Mohammadi, E., Abbaszadeh, A., & Bahrami, M. (2013). Nursing
ethical values and definitions: A literature review. Iranian journal of nursing
and midwifery research, 18(1), 1–8.
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 16 Nursing Values
• Human dignity
• Integrity
• Altruism
• Social justice
• Diversity
• Ingenuity
• Compassion
• Trustworthiness
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/nursing-values

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 16 Nursing Values
• Accountability
• Curiosity
• Autonomy
• Precision
• Empathy
• Professionalism
• Loyalty
• Excellence
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/nursing-
values
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