Write an essay about law and disaster
The 1st and 3rd question are the ones that are wrong. Let me send you my friend’s response and you can go by it
According to the American Nurse Association Code of Ethics provision 2 states “ The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family group, community, or population” however, provision 5 states “ The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character, and integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth” (ANA, 2015).
Does the law require you to respond in disaster situations?
In some state’s laws are in place that require licensed health care professionals to respond, and refusal to comply can be punishable (ANA, 2017). However, the State of Florida does not require a registered nurse to respond in disaster situations. Under the Florida Statues section 456.38 practitioner registry for disaster and emergency, nurse practitioners are asked if they can assist in the event of a disaster. If they have agreed to participate in major disaster relief then they would be on a registry list “maintained by the department as a health care practitioner registry for disasters and emergencies” (FLA, 2019).
Do RNs have a contractual responsibility to respond in disaster situations?
While there is no contractual responsibility to respond in disaster situations in Florida the nurse must ask themselves what is the right thing to do? Nurses do have a commitment to care for and protect their patients under provision 2 of the ANA Nursing Code of Ethics, but under provision 5 must also protect themselves and their families. The choice for some nurses maybe easier than for others. For instance, nurses who have families may be less inclined to answer the call if they feel unsafe in a disaster emergency response situation or don’t have adequate support for own family needs. Heath care employers should have provisions in place for sufficient, appropriate personal protective equipment, immunizations, physical security, and operational protocols in the event of a major disaster to help easy registered nurses concerns on safety measures (ANA, 2017).
Are you familiar with the laws in your state?
Before this discussion I was not familiar with the Florida registered nursing laws in reference to disaster situations. Under the Florida Statues section 768.13 The Good Samaritan Act states that any individual including licensed to practice medicine who in good faith renders assistance in an emergent situations whether it be major disaster or other outside hospital/medical facility and without objection of the injured victim or victims thereof, shall not be held liable for civil damages as a result of care or treatment (FLA, 2019).
References
American Nurse Association. (2015). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-viewonly
American Nurse Association. (2017). Who will be there? Ethics, and law, and a nurse’s duty to respond in a disaster [PDF]. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/~4af058/globalassets/docs/ana/ethics/who-will-be-there_disaster-preparedness_2017.pdf
FLA. STAT. 456.38 (2019). Retrieved from https://leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&Search_String=&URL=0400-0499/0456/Sections/0456.38.html
FLA. STAT. 768.13 (2019). Retrieved from https://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0700-0799/0768/Sections/0768.13.html
word limit: 320