Ethics
| Make a Difference, One Patient at a Time
As the old man walked the beach at dawn, he noticed a young man picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Catching up to the youth, he asked why he was doing this. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left until the morning sun. "But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish," countered the other. "How can your effort make any difference?" The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and threw it to safety in the waves. "It makes a difference to this one," he said.
Loren C. Eiseley "The Star Thrower." Harcourt Brace. 1979 |
The starfish story exemplifies the power that each of us has--the power of one. Each of us has the ability to make a difference.
As critical care nurses, we must consider our impact on the ethical decision making of our patients, families and fellow healthcare professionals. we must realize that we can make a difference, whether it be for the family we support in making the decision to remove a loved one from a ventilator or for the mother who decides to donate her young son's organs. We are gong to touch the lives of these people, and we can support them as they examine their values and make the toughest ethical decision of their lives.
If just one critical care nurse today helps the starfish to safety, we can make a difference.
Beth A. Glassford, RN, MS
Chairperson, Ethics Integration Work Group
AACNNews, Vol. 16, NO.12 -12/99 |
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