A situation in the healthcare field that would require moral courage is the reporting of a supervisor who is falsifying training records in order to have more full-time staff. A staff member who witnesses this is morally obligated to report it, but he or she may face adverse circumstances as a result.

In one example, a nurse who reported this very act experienced criticism from the supervisor and unfair changes to her schedule. Despite this, the nurse with moral courage will stand her ground and make sure that the nurses in training aren’t allowed to work alone until their training is completed. It was the only ethical option once the falsified records were known (Murry, 2010). Despite knowing that there may be repercussions, the nurse is charged with doing the right thing for the patient at all costs.

Moral courage is especially important in the healthcare field, and nurses are often at the heart of ethical decision-making because they facilitate and provide care. Their primary focus is on the patient, which sometimes makes them have conflicting goals with physicians or administration. This is one of the many reasons that nurses suffer a large amount of stress and often burnout of the profession (Edmonson, 2010). The stress of moral courage in places that do not encourage it can be intense.

As nursing shortages, patient increases, and technology continuously complicate the healthcare profession, more ethical dilemmas will arise. The ability to do the right thing will be paramount to positive patient outcomes. Nurses must always be an advocate for the patient even when that means they themselves may face negative outcomes. A work culture where moral courage is promoted will be a culture where patients receive the best care, and it will be easier for nurses to come forward when they do have a dilemma (“Moral Courage/Distress,” 2018).