Letter to the Editor
Article Outline
To the editor:
I applaud the focus on ethics and moral courage in the September/October 2009 issue of Nursing Outlook. As a member of the American Nurses Association Ethics and Human Rights Advisory Board, it is always gratifying to see heightened interest on ethics as it relates to issues within our profession. However, as an active duty military nurse and President of the Federal Nurses Association, a constituent member of the American Nurses Association, I am troubled to see military nurses implicated in unsubstantiated unethical behavior such as torture and abuse of detainees. As Lieutenant General Schoomaker1 pointed out in his commentary, there is no evidence that military nurses participated in torture and abuse of detainees.
The topic of abuse is something that military nurses take very seriously. We have been staunch advocates for promoting ethical environments in which nurses practice, learn, teach, research, and lead.2 A critical challenge we face is a lack of appropriate protections for nurses who speak out about unethical practices. Military nurses have extremely limited judicial remedies and enormously restricted civil rights due to the Feres doctrine—a law which prohibits military personnel from taking legal action against the federal government for harm caused by others who work for the Department of Defense.3 Since 2004, FedNA has worked to improve protections for those in uniform who speak out about unethical behaviors.
Lieutenant General Schoomaker1 recommended open discussion on this issue. I wholeheartedly agree that this is very much needed and long overdue. Ensuring that all nurses follow the Code of Ethics for Nurses is critical. The Code mandates that unethical behaviors in the workplace be reported. Yet this may not occur because of fear of retaliation.2, 4 Unethical behaviors in nursing workplaces continue because of a wall of silence, which all too often protects the perpetrator of the unethical behavior. 4, 5, 6 The same Code mandates that professional organizations support and assist nurses who report unethical behavior and protect those who voice their concerns.
Military nurses face extraordinary challenges in caring for the warriors who defend our nation - at home and in deployed locations such as Iraq and Afghanistan.3 I encourage professional nursing organizations, including the American Academy of Nursing, to become more actively engaged in educating nurses about the importance of creating ethical environments, teaching moral courage, and instituting protections for nurses who disclose unethical behaviors in the workplace. The Federal Nurses Association welcomes the opportunity to participate in ongoing discussions as well as embraces support for our work to create ethical environments for all nurses.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the government.
References
- . Commentary: Military medical support for detainee operations. Nurs Outlook. 2009;57:292–293
- . Creating ethical environments in nursing. Am Nurs Today. 2007;2:48–49
- . The Paul Revere freedom to warn act: Legislation to protect federal whistleblowers from retaliation. AJN. 2008;108:38–39
- . Before blowing the whistle, learn to protect yourself. Am Nurs Today. 2007;2:40–42
- . No more nurse abuse. Let's stop paying the emotional, physical, and financial costs of workplace abuse. Am Nurs Today. 2008;3:17–19
- . Workplace bullying in nursing: A problem that can't be ignored. Medsurg Nurs. 2009;18:273–276
PII: S0029-6554(09)00217-6
doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2009.10.007
Published by Elsevier Inc.
