In their work, healthcare professionals must rely on a certain philosophical foundation which is capable of informing their decisions and guiding their actions. There are several notable theories which are applicable to the healthcare setting and which doctors and nurses can follow. One of the theories which are particularly common among healthcare professionals which can be applied to different workplace situations is the Critical Theory and Emancipatory Knowing which accompanies it.
The Critical Theory and Emancipatory Knowing are two phenomena which are inextricably linked with each other. Specifically, the Critical Theory is a perspective which forms the foundation for Emancipatory Knowing (Kohlen & McCarthy, 2020). The Critical Theory refers to a framework which enables people to discover and expose social inequalities and injustices which promote the privileges of one group over another. At the same time, it is not sufficient to merely analyze and identify the injustices existing in society, and therefore actions to challenge them are needed. Emancipatory Knowing is the ability of people not only to recognize the injustices but also make efforts to disrupt the status quo and bring positive change which can resolve the problem (Allan & Evans, 2021). The Critical Theory and Emancipatory Knowing are essential tools which healthcare professionals need to utilize to deliver benefit to society.
One of the most topical issues which healthcare professionals are currently facing and which can be addressed with the Critical Theory and Emancipatory Knowing is the refusal of medical workers to get vaccinated. Personally, in my workplace, there were several people who decided to avoid engaging in vaccination and therefore put at risk the rest of the personnel who willingly got vaccinated. From the perspective of the Critical Theory and Emancipatory Knowing such a situation can be viewed as an injustice. In other words, a healthcare professional who refuses to get vaccinated puts at a considerable danger both their colleagues and clients. Moreover, they begin to demonstrate their privilege over the rest of the staff, many of whom took the vaccine to protect others even though they did not want to.
In order to change the situation, I, personally, proposed to other colleagues to ask the unvaccinated colleagues to undergo the vaccination processes or resign. We decided to tell the unvaccinated colleagues that they had two weeks to receive the first shot of the vaccine. Otherwise, we would petition the management to remove the potentially dangerous person from the workforce. During the process, there were considerable barriers in the form of some colleagues refusing to participate in the initiative. For instance, some individuals said that they did not wish to impose the need for vaccination on others. Moreover, the unvaccinated staff members delayed their vaccination and receive the first shot only at the end of the second week and acted aggressively towards others for an entire month. Yet, the prospect of their employment being terminated is the factor which considerably facilitated the process of change. Next time, I would not set a two-week deadline and would ask the manager to directly talk to the unvaccinated person and terminate their contract immediately if they refuse to get a vaccine.
The Critical Theory and Emancipatory Knowing are effective tools for addressing workplace inequality and injustice such as the refusal of healthcare workers to get vaccinated. The Critical Theory and Emancipatory Knowing can be used together by healthcare professionals to identify and analyze possible social issues and address them by taking actions to challenge the status quo. Personally, when applying the Critical Theory and Emancipatory Knowing to my workplace, I see that people who refuse to get vaccinated actually contribute to injustice.
References
Allan, H., & Evans, K. (2021). Theorising in everyday nursing practice: A critical analysis. New York, NY: SAGE.
Kohlen, H., & McCarthy, J. (2020). Nursing ethics: Feminist perspectives. London: Springer Nature.