Freedom of a speech

Freedom of Speech
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Freedom of Speech
It is defined as the right of a person to express information, opinions and ideas without fear of legal penalty or censorship. Healthcare staff believe that they have a right to speak out their minds or express their concerns (Taylor, 2012). This may not be the case in the workplace. It may not be possible for nurses to freely debate on work issues they do not like or activities they are not comfortable with. At the workplace, there are rules and regulations set that are mostly used to quiet the staff (Taylor, 2012). Although the chances of an employee being fired because of expressing his mind are minimal, there are consequences that he or she will have to bear with. A staff that raises a concern about an issue in the workplace will always be monitored closely by the management, and in case he or she makes a mistake, the issue he had previously raised will always come up.
Freedom of speech is not absolute and it comes with responsibilities. Nurses should have a right to speak their mind freely on important issues in the workplace and access any information deemed relevant to enable effective delivery of health care. However, they should first make sure that what they are about to say is relevant (Taylor, 2012). Nurses should mind their tone when expressing themselves and should choose the right words so as to avoid being rude to the management, their patients and their colleagues.
There are measures that can be put in place to enable effective freedom of speech.

Nurses should be trained in effective communication to enable them to express themselves in the right manner (Taylor, 2012). Procedures should be put in place to be followed when one is giving his or her view. Good relationships between the management and the staff should be maintained so that the staff can freely express their views.
References
Taylor, E. (2012). Religions: a clinical guide for nurses. New York: Springer Pub. Co.