second reply (Ashley) for classmate’s post, about 100 words

Moral courage may be one of the most important “traits” a nurse could have. When it comes to nursing, we must advocate for our patients at all times. My favorite quote about moral courage is, “It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight…it’s about the size of the fight in the dog”. This quote is great for a nurse because in a way, a doctor is “bigger than us” meaning he has more power and more say than a nurse, but as a nurse, I must have a strong voice and stand for what I believe. A time when I have used moral courage was when I was assigned a patient who has chronic health issues. She was constantly complaining of pain overnight. She was requesting certain pain medications that made the doctor assume that she is a “drug seeker” because she knew the names of medications. I sat in this patient’s room and spoke with her and learned that in her previous hospitalizations, certain medications worked for her and others didn’t. I felt bad for her because she truly was in pain but when I called the doctor, all he would say is “she is drug seeking. Don’t call me about this patient again”. I did not listen to this and I continued to page him. I told him he needed to come to the floor to see this patient because it was not fair that he was willing to give other patients the attention they needed, yet this patient he was assuming was seeking drugs was actually in pain and I had to stay in her room longer than I had time for and my other patients weren’t receiving the time they needed from me. The doctor came to the floor after I stood up to him and spoke with the patient and we were able to make changes in the patients medication to help with the pain without just saying the patient is “drug seeking” when she had no history of drug abuse. It was important that I stand up for a patient in need because in a way, I am the patient’s strongest voice at a hard time like this. There is nothing that I would do differently if I could go back to this day because I stood up for this patient, I advocated and I became her voice to this doctor and made sure she received what she needed. “Moral courage requires nurses to stand up for what is right, despite the risks and the potential consequences. Risks can include stress, anxiety, isolation from colleagues, and even threats of termination of employment”.(Lachman, Murray, Iseminger, & Ganske, 2012). Resources: Fitzpatrick, J. J. (2018). Teaching moral courage: Obligation and challenge. Nursing Education Perspectives, 39(4), 200. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy2.apus.edu/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000372