Professional accountability is important in nursing and part of the reason nursing has been considered the most trusted profession for 15 years in a row (Davis, 2017). Davis, 2017 states that professional accountability means having a responsibility to yourself and to others to maintain high standards and being held accountable when mistakes are made.
An example of professional accountability in nursing practice can include medication errors. If a nurse gives the wrong medication to a patient, but the nurse also knows that the medication given may not necessarily have any adverse reactions, it may be tempting for the nurse to keep quiet about the medication error. This goes against the professional accountability that we are expected to maintain. The nurse should report the medication error immediately. In being accountable to ourselves, the nurse should reflect on why the medication error happened and how to prevent it from happening again. Perhaps a coworker was conversing with the nurse during med pass, and the nurse was distracted. In that instance, the nurse should make it a point to avoid conversations while dispensing medications to patients.
Reference
Davis, C. (2017). The importance of professional accountability. Nursing Made Incredibly Easy,
15(6) 10.1097/01.NME.0000525557.44656.04
(Please write a response to the article above using 200-300 words APA format with at least two references. Sources must be published within the last 5 years. There should be a mix between research and your reflections. Add critical thinking in the posts along with research. Apply the material in a substantial way. )
