A Challenge Hindering the Nursing Profession from Realizing Aspirations for a Common Good 

Introduction

According to John Paul II the principle of common good is related to human dignity and equality. Every human being has individual rights that should be exercise when promoting common good. John Paul II was also responsible for changing the meaning of the common good and elevated the definition to fit the societies we are living in today. According to his new meaning common good is the good that comes into existence in a community build by solidarity and equal agent. In this context nurses who are on the forefront of providing healthcare are part of the medical and hospital staff and individuals who must experience their rights as they aim to promote common good, the fact that they are overworked has denied them the chance to experience their rights. The nursing community cannot be able contribute to the good that comes into existence when a community is built by equality since they are overworked and this is not in respect to human dignity which has a strong relation to the principle of common good. Overworked medical staff and hospital staff has been a challenge that has hindered the nursing community from realizing inspirations of the common good.

Common good is the good that comes into existence, and the good that can be offered by the nursing community is quality healthcare. Nurses are people who spend a lot time with patients and have a tremendous impact on the health of the people they serve. Overworking nurses hinders them to attain personal satisfaction in their work and from attaining the goals of the organizations they work for (Cochran, Clarke, 1999). Common good cannot be attained if there is no equality and, in a setting, where human dignity is not respected. To achieve common good, the human dignity of the nurses must be respected. Overworking them does not respect their human dignity, and this hider the efforts of the nursing community from realizing its aspirations for common good (Khademi, Mohammadi,  & Vanaki, 2012).

Nurses are people who are face a lot of psychological stressors, and this put them at a risk of experiencing burnouts which will deter their performance (Portoghese, Galletta, Coppola, Finco, & Campagna, 2014). This will be a hindrance to realization of the nursing professional aspirations of common good since the induvial right to rest that was given to all social being has not been accorded to them. Nurses are people who make a living off caring for other people, and these are the sick, the disabled, and the frail. At times they may fail to see these sick people as human beings, but a means to earn a paycheck. Considering the rise in cases that involve nurses robbing and sexually assaulting their patients overworked and underpaid nurses are likely to dehumanize those under their care viewing them as a burden that should be managed so that they can move on to the next one (McClain, & Grossman, 2009). The chances of overworked nurses to dehumanizing their patients are very high, and by doing so they abuse the human dignity of their patients thus hindering them from realizing their aspirations for common good because as mentioned earlier, the principle of common good and human dignity are strongly intertwined.

            Overworking nurses deny them the opportunity to build a community that is built by equal agents and equality, and this deny the uniqueness of their contribution to society (Cody, 2006). The fact that they are overworked serves as evidence that their contribution is undervalued and many of them may consider to leave the profession. A decline in enrolment is as a result of underpayment and the few the nurses in the profession the more it is challenging for the nursing profession to realize its aspirations for common good (Holland, 2016). 

Conclusion

Overworked medical and hospital participants and among them, nurses are, and this is a big challenge towards the realization of the nursing professions aspirations of the common good. Overworking nurse is against human dignity and equality, which are strongly intertwined with the principle of common good. Overworking nurses who are part of the medical and hospital staff deters them from building a community that is built on honesty and human dignity for all.