Ethical Issues In Nursing Education: A Personal Statement

In January of 2008, I began my LPN education at Fortis College. I worked diligently to maintain a 4.0 throughout nursing school; and accordingly, I was the class valedictorian. Passing the NCLEX exam in the summer of 2009 was my greatest accomplishment thus far. My education at Fortis included I.V. certification as well as CPR certification for medical professionals. Gaining my first nursing job was a challenge because almost every employer requires experience.

The seemingly endless search for an LPN position taught me how to interview successfully; and thus, my verbal communication skills improved drastically. Resume and cover letter writing improved my vocabulary, written communication skills, and ability to write for a specific audience and convey a professional tone.

My first week was primarily filled with professional training. This training included the background of the International Council for Harmonisation, Good Clinical Practice, CFR, and the evolution of the ethical and regulatory foundations of human subject research. Studying the Declaration of Helsinki provided education regarding the ethical principles of clinical research. A large portion of my training was centered on the ethical principles of clinical research: autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. To have adequate knowledge of the informed consent process I studied CFR 21, part 50, Protection of Human Subjects. This taught me what must be contained in a consent, guidelines regarding assent, who can obtain consent/assent, legally authorized representatives, documentation and signature requirements, local IRB requirements, and subject rights related to the informed consent process. Self-paced online training, regarding the different phases of clinical trials, randomization, double blind and single blind studies, control arms, and placebo effect were assigned to me as