It might be difficult to help the impaired nurse; however, it is not impossible (Huston, 2016). In my opinion, if I have a good understanding of reasons for nurses becoming impaired, I will be able to avoid those activities, which could lead to impairment, and I also can save patients and maintain the integrity of the nursing profession. According to Huston (2016), “It is the ethical and legal duty of a nurse to advocate for public safety, their colleagues, and the profession” (p. 297). So one of the main areas of focus for a nurse is to protect the patient from any potential harms, which means, in order to protect the patients, the nurses need to report an impaired …show more content…
The impaired nurse violates the codes of ethics that a professional nurse should follow. For example, according to the provision 5 of the code of ethics, “The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth” (Lachman, 2015, p. 364). This provision defines personal behaviors in which the nurse must be involved in to accomplish the expectations of the Code. Personal behaviors mean maintaining personal health, personal safety, and overall well-being (Lachman, 2015). Similarly, the nurse must also stay a competent nursing professional, growing in his or her professional and personal life (Lachman, 2015). However, the impaired nurse would neither be able to maintain his or her personal behaviors nor remain a competent nursing professional who can bring positive influences in his or her professional and personal life. They also put the patients at risk either by not giving enough or correct medications or not providing proper care that the patients deserve to