By: Katie Perkins, LAT, ATC
Hello fellow athletic trainers! My name is Katie Perkins aka “Katie P” and I am a new member of the TATS Ethics & Compliance Committee. I am a secondary school athletic trainer in Memphis, TN at St Agnes Academy - St Dominic School. I have been an athletic trainer in the state of TN for 19 years, starting in Chattanooga before moving to Memphis. For this blog, the P in “Katie P” stands for Prudence.
Healthcare providers can be tempted to say, "It's just a clinical decision." The BOC Patient Care Responsibilities Code 1.3 states that we should demonstrate sound clinic judgment, evidence based guidelines, and the thoughtful and safe application of resources, treatments, and therapies. Regardless of how much scientific data we might have, there still will be value-laden choices that require careful ethical deliberation. Prudence helps us navigate these circumstances.
Aristotle defined prudence as a “state grasping the truth, involving reason, concerned with action about things that are good or bad for a human being”. In the law, a reasonably prudent person “rpp” is an individual who uses good judgment or common sense in handling practical matters. The actions of a person exercising common sense in a similar situation are the guide in determining whether an individual's actions were reasonable. In ethics, prudence is often considered to be the “mother of all virtues”. Also described as practical wisdom, foresight, common sense, level headedness, rationalness, street smarts, ... Prudence means being careful about your choices, stopping and thinking before acting. It is a strength of restraint. When you are prudent, you are not taking unnecessary risks, and not saying or doing things that you might later regret.
Prudence may sound like only restraint, but the prudent person is one who knows what to do in a particular situation by applying general rules and then knows why the general rule won't work in that particular case. Far from restraint, prudence sometimes requires that we do something bold and innovative. This is a kind of judgment that every athletic trainer needs because there are always situations that don't fit the textbook.
Like any virtue, prudence must be learned and practiced. In most cases, prudence is not naturally gifted to people, though some might be more receptive to learning it. The way to do so is to reflect deeply upon experiences, asking oneself whether the action taken resulted in the desired outcome. Through this reflective practice, a person begins to develop a better understanding of the application of their virtuous actions and any repercussions. We also learn just as much from our mistakes as we do from our successes. As athletic trainers, we must guard against becoming too busy or too routine to allow ourselves the time and energy to be reflective. Prudence can also be learned from others. Having a seasoned mentor whom you can seek advice on how to handle difficult situations is integral as an athletic trainer. If you are interested in information about the NATA Mentor Match program, please go to: https://gather.nata.org/mentoring
Prudence enables an athletic trainer to know when to be firm and when to be flexible, when to encourage and when to comfort, when to agree to a patient request and when not to. When healthcare professionals are acting with the right amount of prudence (versus not enough) they avoid the vice of rashness or recklessness. They can consider alternative courses of action and utilize the principles, ethics codes, and other guides that help them choose wisely. The virtue of prudence is what educates us to reflect well and thus decide well.
So, the prudent athletic trainer is not just someone who knows technique or obeys all the rules. Virtuous athletic trainers know themselves. They have internalized the values and skills of their profession in a way that they draw upon them readily, easily, and happily.