Clinical ethics residency for nurses: an education model to decrease moral distress and strengthen nurse retention in acute care.
The experience of unaddressed moral distress can lead to nurse attrition and/or distancing from patients, compromising patient care. Nurses who are confident in their ethical decision making abilities and moral agency have the antidote to moral distress for themselves and their colleagues and can act as local or institutional ethics resources. We describe a grant-funded model education program designed to increase ethics competence throughout the institution.
Author Affiliations: Associate Professor (Dr Grace), William F. Connell School of Nursing, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts; Clinical Nurse Specialist in Ethics (Dr Robinson), Director of Clinical Pastoral Education (Rev Zollfrank), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston; Executive Director of the Ethics Service (Dr Jurchak), Senior Nurse Scientist (Dr Lee), Center for Nursing Excellence, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
Pamela J
PJ
Grace
Ellen M
EM
Robinson
Martha
M
Jurchak
Angelika A
AA
Zollfrank
Susan M
SM
Lee
D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations / Q000941:ethics*; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017145:Models, Educational; D009014:Morals; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000941:ethics; D010563:Personnel Turnover; D014481:United States