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"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them."

~ Malcolm Forbes

Whatever you think about the current White House scandal, I think you’ll agree it has stimulated public discussion about the relative importance of character. I’ve heard lots of people say character doesn’t matter as long as you’re getting the job done, but I think it does. And by the way, I’m not talking about sex, I’m talking about honesty and integrity.

Does character matter in health care? I think it’s central to virtually everything we do. Because we deal with the vulnerable, often in privacy, our truthfulness and our dependability—whether we are being watched or not—is essential.

It would have been easy for you not to reposition that patient at 10:30 p.m., when there were scores of things to finish before the night shift came on duty. How tempting it might have been to walk past the family in the waiting room because you were in a hurry, but you stopped and gave them an update. How easy it would have been to brush off that patient’s slightly more congested lungs and let the next shift deal with the problem. How tempting it would be to ignore the drug error you made, especially if you reason that it probably didn’t hurt the patient this time.

When you do something that is right—even when it delays you, causes conflict, or even damages your career—it’s character. And the critical bond between patient and care provider could not exist if our professions were not built on the premise that character matters.

From day one in health care, we are taught an enormous sense of personal responsibility, a dedication to the details that gradually builds courage and self-discipline. Remember the surgical packs you discarded because you realized you had accidentally violated the sterile field? How carefully you researched the drug you had never heard of before you gave it? One of the things I have most enjoyed about our work has been the enormous sense of mission we have, the duty to be a watchdog for the patient and family and to stand up for what is right.

Even away from direct patient care—in management, teaching, case management, and consultation—we are called upon every day to deal honestly with all of the people for whom and with whom we work.

We may differ about where to draw the line about politics. But I think most would agree that health care demands an unimpeachable level of honesty and responsibility. I call it character. I hate to see us as a society gradually devalue it. What do you think?

Barbara Bronson Gray, MN, RN
Editor in Chief