Social Responsibility as a Pediatric Nurse

Social responsibility is the understanding that we all have a role to play in helping others, protecting the environment, and improving the well-being of society. As a Pediatric Home Care Nurse, caring for others isn’t just what you do—it’s who you are. When you’re supporting your patients, whether in your career or beyond, you’re not just helping one person; you’re uplifting their family, strengthening their community, and finding deeper meaning in what you do. 

How Pediatric Home Care Nurses Can Practice Social Responsibility

Making Ethically Led Decisions 

Having strong ethics is essential to nursing, as situations can arise that require thoughtful and careful decisions that will benefit the patient. The four principles of ethics in nursing include the following:

• Nonmaleficence (not to inflict harm and not allow others to inflict harm)
• Beneficence (act in ways that benefit individuals, communities, and society)
• Autonomy (respect patients and their choices at all times)
• Justice (ensure that healthcare benefits and burdens are distributed fairly throughout the population)

Advocating for Policies that Support Children’s Health

All children and families depend on systems and policies to help protect their health. Healthcare policies can affect whether medically fragile children have access to the right doctors, vaccinations, medications, and mental health support. Pediatric Home Care Nurses can get involved with policy and advocacy through different methods, such as joining a nursing organization or coalition, exploring resources related to policy formulation, investigating policies that affect children in their community, and volunteering to participate in policy meetings. 

Getting Involved in the Community 

Making an impact in your patient’s community is just as important as making an impact in the comfort of their home. There are many ways to get involved with the community, including:

• Volunteering at a local shelter, school, or daycare
• Partnering with local nonprofit organizations 
• Teaching health classes or workshops for caregivers
• Participating in a health fair or community event  

Practicing Cultural Sensitivity

Promoting cultural sensitivity builds strong relationships with patients and families, helping to reduce health disparities for children from various backgrounds. To practice cultural sensitivity, you can use a translator to overcome language barriers, learn about cultures different from your own, and actively listen to your patient and their families/caregivers to better understand their background and beliefs.   

How Thrive Promotes Social Responsibility

One of Thrive SPC’s core values is social responsibility–our organization is philanthropic with our time and resources to benefit our communities. For information on how Thrive SPC promotes social responsibility and the organizations we support, head to https://www.thrivespc.com/giving-back/