Background Statement: Pleasant Valley Memorial hospital is experiencing unethical behavior among its nursing staff. Nursing Manager Susan manages the intensive care unit (NICU). Repeatedly, Susan encounters the NICU nurses allowing their personal beliefs to influence behavioral work norms and patient care. Dedicated nurses such as Nurse Pamela refuse to care for certain patients with lifestyles she opposes. Other nurses have mistreated a 16-year-old father of a baby under their care by ignoring his requests and overlooking his need to obtain information about his child. His physical appearance is youthful in that he wears hip-hop style clothing, body tattoos and dreadlocks. Hispanic nurses are only assigned to Hispanic patients because the four charge nurses deemed it good practice since there was normally a language barrier. The unit nursing population is made up of 75% black, Caribbean Island nurses who were educated under the British education system. These nurses tend to be very religious. They bring their bibles to work, read and discuss biblical views with patients and other co-workers, and request Sundays off to attend church. Nurse Karen is an example of the deeply religious black, Caribbean Island nurse. Karen refuses to take care of patients with a history of abortion, which is against her beliefs. Karen also shares her religious beliefs with patients and requests Sundays off. Nursing Manager Susan addresses issues as they surface. She informs Nurse Pamela
between two sets of human values, both of which are judged to be “good” but neither of
Ethical issues have always affected the role of the professional nurse. Efforts to enact this standard may cause conflict in health care settings in which the traditional roles of the nurse are delineated within a bureaucratic structure. Nurses have more direct contact with patients than one can even imagine, which plays a huge role in protecting the patients’ rights, and creating ethical issues for the nurses caring for the various patients they are assigned to. In this paper I will discuss some of the ethical and legal issues that nurses are faced with each and every day.
Provision 8.1 of the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics denotes that health is a universal right. The provision states, “the nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities” (Lachman, Swanson, & Windland-Brown, 2015, p. 365). From chapter 1, the ethical theory that best fits provision 8.1 is utilitarianism. The ethical theory of utilitarianism theorizes “one should act so as to do the greatest good for the greatest number” (Baillie, McGeehan, Garrett, & Garrett, 2013, p. 4). This theory promotes a universal method because it signifies that even if a decision is made and does not benefit every single person; however, benefits most
The American Nurses Association (ANA) has the Code of Ethics which holds Nurses to the codes or provisions of these documents. I summarized Provision 1 of the ANA 's Code of Ethics. I give a scenario where this provision is broken by the nursing staff and consequences of doing so. Provision 1: Provision 1 reads as follows “The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems” (American Nurses Association 2001). Provision 1 is divided into five subdivisions. Provision 1.1 is titled “Respect for human dignity"(ANA 2001). The nurse always needs to place value on their patient as a unique individual. Provision 1.2 is titled “Relationships to patients” (ANA 2001). As a nurse you need to leave all prejudice, personal beliefs, and convictions out of the care of your patient. The patient’s self-worth and value is not defined by their religious choice, culture, lifestyle, hygiene, financial status, sex, and race. The nurse needs to form or follow an individual treatment plan that fits your patient’s personal preferences, religious beliefs, and requests. Provision 1.3 reads as follows “The nature of health problems” (ANA 2001). A nurse is not to judge or look down upon a patient by their "The disease, disability, or functional status “(ANA 2001).The nurse needs
Healthcare organizations are committed to providing clients with quality service and experience while promoting safety, health, and healing. Nurses have the biggest impact in providing safe client care and are known for their commitment in improving or increasing client health. However, this ethical commitment may not always be met due to breakdowns in healthcare delivery. Deviations such as adoption of unsafe practices or behaviors can lead to sentinel events. Any disconnects or disruptions can be a detriment to client care. This paper will present recent cases of witnessed breakdowns of facility protocols that have led to adoptions of unsafe nursing practices, discuss its impact to healthcare, and how it has affected my personal perspective on the issue.
If Lisa has been fully counseled and educated about all facets of terminating her pregnancy because her fetus has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), the nurse’s role is to support Lisa’s decision. The American Nursing Association Code of Ethics (2015), Provision 1.4, The Right of Self-Determination, states that in order to fully distinguish a person’s dignity, it is necessary to respect their right of self-determination. This provision additionally states that it is the responsibility of the nurse to educate the patient accurately and verify that the information is understood. After which, the patient has the right to make their decision without “duress, undue influence or coercion” and be supported “throughout the decision making and
Have you ever sat and thought about how nurses can give good ethical quality of care when they seem to always be understaffed and overcrowded? In this Research paper, I will look at what the effects of understaffing is on nurses and patients. Per the CUPE website their research show that one in ten patients in Canada acquire a nosocomial infection during their visits to the hospital. This seems to be a very alarming rate. Their research has also come to show that thirty percent of these infections are preventable, and that understaffing is one of the major attributors to this growing problem.
There are many different careers which entail much more than just a particular degree from some type of post-secondary education program. Typically, all careers have a specific code and level of ethics which are incorporated into the daily responsibilities one is expected to perform in their chosen field. For the basis of this paper, I have chosen to write about the nursing code of ethics. Nursing has a professional code along with the level/employee behavior usually being currently attainable, which means that the behavior expected is normally exhibited by individuals. (Manias 508). However, although nursing seems to require behavior that is “normally” exhibited and tends to be one of the most popular medical fields, there are numerous amounts of ethical issues which have emerged in this field of work since the few being noted in Florence Nightingale’s Notes on Nursing. (Ulrich et al. 2).
To understand what ethics are in your major and career, you must first know and understand ethics. According to the Oxford dictionary, ethics are defined as, “moral principles that govern a person 's or group 's behavior”(“Oxford Dictionary”). In this case, that group of people are nurses. You must then realize where to find your code of ethics for your particular career. For nursing, the “American Nurses Association” is a source that can be referred to. The American Nurses Association has released a documentation with the “nine provisions” outlining the code of ethics for nurses along with case examples to live by.
It is important to understand that when counselors practices in any setting with clients as they interact on regularly bases with other professional’s workers should always conduct themselves in an ethically and legally appropriate manner (Remley & Herlihy, 2014, p.317). Chapter 12 discuses counselors who are in training for private practice and the type of roles those counselors have with other mental health professionals that are supported in their community.
According to the American Nurses Association (ANA) states on the safeguarding and promotion of human rights pertaining to medical services in an essential function of the association. The nurses should be aware in the events where individuals have limited or diminished ability to exercise their rights and the ethical issues in particular the children, mentally disabled, and critically ill. (ANA, 2001).
The role of ethics in organizational behavior is the underlying factor to the success and longevity of any organization. A set of rules and guidelines focusing on promoting safety, trust, and responsible practice within the workplace must be established internally. Organizations develop code of ethics that center upon the promotion of good. Ethics are vital in developing trusting relationships between employees and administration within.
Ethical issues in nursing will always be an ongoing learning process. Nurses are taught in nursing school what should be done and how. Scenarios are given on tests with one right answer. However, there are situations that nurses may encounter that may have multiple answers and it is hard to choose one. “Ethical directives are not always clearly evident and people sometimes disagree about what is right and wrong” (Butts & Rich, 2016). When an ethical decision is made by a nurse, there must be a logical justification and not just emotions.
The combination of professionalism and ethics can be equated with an extraordinary nurse because they are core components in the nursing profession and crucial to patient trust, confidence and wellbeing. Having a degree in nursing is not what makes one a professional. Professionalism is
The ethical dilemma is a situation by which it’s difficult to determine whether a situation is can be handled without disappointing both sides. Therefore, an ethical dilemma exists when the right thing to do is clear or when members of the healthcare team cannot agree on the right thing to do. Ethical dilemmas require negotiation of different points of view (potter, Perry, Stockert, & Hall 2011pg 78).