In the last journal entry, I discussed my false assumption that if a nurse had pleaded

guilty for a disciplinary action and the judge decided to withhold adjudication that it would not

be held against his or her license because the offense is not technically on his or her record, and I

also discussed the charges one can be found guilty for, such as assault or battery. As mentioned

in the Standards of Care lecture, standards of care are set out to protect both the patients and

healthcare providers (Bernard, 2018). For example, if a patient arrives at a scene unable to

express his or her wishes, implied consent is generally applied as the standard of care. Even if it

went against what the patient’s wishes would have been had he or she been awake, the healthcare

team is protected because of the standard of care in place. Thus, if a nurse familiarizes him or

herself with the hospital’s standard of care, he or she would not need to be as concerned with

needing to plead guilty or have the judge withhold adjudication or the possibility of facing

criminal charges for tort law or worse.

Based on this information, it is important for me, as a future nurse, to understand the

importance of knowing the standards of care at the hospital I will be employed at to protect both

my patients and my license. However, sometimes in the stressful situations, those standards of

care may be forgotten or neglected, which is why I will also be intentional about developing

effective interpersonal skills with my patients because it can affect whether or not my name will

be mentioned in a suit and affect the outcomes for my patients (Brous, 2014). I will also work

diligently to document everything I do, in my own words, as we learned in nursing school just in

case patients do decide to press charges. The core of the nursing profession is advocating for our

patients and sometimes that is more than just calling the provider when a medication is

contraindicated; that core value is understanding the standards of care to protect our patients at

all costs. It is a responsibility I do not take lightly, and I hope I never will.
 References

Bernard, R. (2018). Standards of care & torts [USF College of Nursing Slides]. Retrieved from

https://decade.it.usf.edu/nursing/NUR3826/mod3/story_html5.html

Brous, E. (2014). Lessons learned from litigation: The case of Eric Decker. American Journal of

Nursing, 114 (2), 58-60, doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000443782.67538.7f