Ethical Decisions For Social Work Practice Essay

The nurse in the case study is faced with an ethical and professional, dilemma. How can she be an advocate for her patient Mr. E? Dr G. is proceeding on a course of action or plan of care that is directly contrary to the patients advance directive and his verbalized objections to the course of treatment proposed by the physician and that is concerning for her. There are multiple issues to consider. For the nurse, she needs to think about her code of ethics, her scope of practice and the legal issues regarding advance directives and Durable Power Of Attorney (DPOA). She also needs to consider the patients right to privacy and confidentiality. As with most areas and issues in modern healthcare the statues can be

According to Pozgar (2016), “Physicians must, as provided in the Hippocratic oath and codes of ethics, make care decisions for the benefit of their patients and not for their hurt or for any wrong” (p. 346). In the case study “Physician Lacks Compassion”, it is possible to identify some violations to the principles of medical ethics. As stated by the American Medical Association (AMA) (n.d.) “A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent care, with compassion and respect for human dignity and rights” (Overview). Unfortunately, on the case mentioned above, Dr. Mean failed to be dedicated to providing care to Mrs. Smith, his patient. Mrs. Smith had been waiting for her appointment and her health status has deteriorated, however, that was not a sufficient reason for the scheduler to make a space for a new appointment as soon as possible.

Dual relationships are very controversial within all helping professions. It can bring positive and negative components to a situation. There should always be a clear boundary and form of consent and agreement set by the social worker, or any health service professional to their client. However in some cases, it is vital for a client and work professionals to establish a relationship. This is an important component for a successful session or procedure. In this paper, I will discuss the ethical dilemma revealed between Dr. Green, the Psychologist and teacher, and the client, 19 year-old, Ava Jones.

In the medical field today, whenever a procedure is going to be done on a patient, informed consent must be given to the doctor from the patient prior the procedure taking place. Informed consent is the approval given by the patient to the doctor for treatment. In the case being discussed today, an 80 year old patient, with a history of congestive heart failure, is in the doctor's office complaining of chest pains. After an examination, the doctor believes the best course of treatment would be to have a surgical procedure, in an attempt to save the patients life. During the examination however, the patient expresses the wish to just be able to die. There is no Living will or Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) on file. The patient’s wife is

The New York State Coalition against Domestic Violence (NYSCADV) provides training, support, technical assistance and advocacy to local direct service domestic violence programs across New York State. We achieve our mission through activism, training, prevention, technical assistance, legislative development and advocacy, and leadership development.

Ethical dilemmas happen frequently in the social work and how one handles them could be the difference on how a clinician keeps their license or not. The problem is there is no way to prepare a person from knowing what situations will arise. Scenarios arise all the time and new ways to handle them is constantly changing. The ethical dilemma can happen anywhere and at any time with anyone, it could be a client, co-worker, and even supervisors. No social worker is safe from them. One however can practice with scenarios and be aware of personal biases. A social worker needs to evaluate each dilemma with the different frameworks and principals to determine which one applies best, anticipate what possible outcomes could happen, and what interventions a social worker would implement.

Michael H., a 68-year-old man, was admitted for exploratory surgery of his abdomen. He is frail, and his attending physician describes him as “emotionally labile.” Marcy R. is a social worker at BFL General Hospital, who is assigned to the unit that Michael H has been admitted. After Michael’s surgery, Marcy R. was approached by Michael H.’s daughter, Ellen B. in which Ellen has told Marcy that her father’s physician had just informed her that the lab report from the exploratory surgery shows that her father has terminal cancer. Ellen said that she and the family are in shock and they have decided that they not want the hospital staff to tell her father about the terminal nature of his cancer once he recovers from anesthesia. In this essay, I will discuss the ethical dilemma of “to tell Michael or not to tell him he has terminal cancer. He has the right to confidentiality by not withholding information from him when he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, informed consent, and self-determination.

This worker met with Ms. Buwo Monkweh at Brookdale office on 4/14/17. The interview was recorded and privacy practices were reviewed and signed.

the colour of his skin, then it could lead to him having a feeling of

Client is currently not employed or attends school and is available to meet from Monday to Sunday except for when she drops of her daughter to school Monday to Friday at 8 AM and picks up at 1:30 PM.

As a social worker she has not come across many ethical dilemmas that many social workers face. ADRC attempts to hire social workers because they have the basic knowledge of the roles of case management and the Code of Ethics, thus, not needing additional training. Beth mentioned that the majority of agencies adopt the social work Code of Ethics, for instance United Way and Area Agency on Aging, making it a requirement to abide to in the agency level, as well. In the interview she mentioned a case that she and a colleague were discussing where Adult Protective Services (APS) needed to be contacted. Beth advised her colleague to call APS to report the situation but Beth contacted them regardless if her colleague had already contacted them.

Ethical Decision-Making Exercise Frequently, social workers encounter situations in their social work practice in which requires the social worker to make an ethical decision. In preparation for these ethical dilemmas, it is important for social workers to familiarize themselves with profession ethical code. The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics specifies the values, principles, and standards to guide social workers’ behavior (National Association of Social Workers (NASW), 2008, para.5). This paper will demonstrate the appropriate response to five scenarios based on the ethical values and responsibilities stated in the NASW Code of Ethics.

Medical professionals face ethical dilemmas every day, and as they are ethical, decisions regarding patients can be challenging to make. In this case, the physician was faced with a dilemma of whether or not to inform a patient that he had an inoperable carcinoma in the prostate. If the physician had a patient that had no history of mental instability, then the decision to tell the patient about this carcinoma would be relatively easy considering the situation, but since this patient wasn’t all there, the decision was difficult.

Advance Directives by the patient designates no feeding tubes, artificial ventilation, or CPR. Concerns regarding alteration of mental status consequential to his illness provoke the physician to seek consultation from the designated Power of Attorney. Nursing responsibilities compel the nurse to consider if the proposed actions of Dr. G violate the patient’s rights of self determination and confidentiality and prompt the nurse to advocate for the patient’s desires regarding medical treatment. Health care providers have a responsibility to honor the patient’s autonomy and provide quality medical care (Badger, 2009 p122). Providing artificial nutrition and ventilation transgresses the patient’s directives and is unethical. The physician appears to be asserting a paternalistic approach in deciding what is best for this patient. Should the interventions be temporary and provide resolution of the condition, the physician can defend his actions as being healing and beneficial. However, there is a chance that the interventions may be permanent and futile; avoiding passive euthanasia and terminal dehydration, serving only to prolonging the illness. Violating the patient’s directives of care by performing invasive procedures can lead to legal incriminations of assault and battery.

being shared. Summarizing the conversation provided clarity resolving any areas of misunderstanding about her situation (Shulman, 2016, p237). Through this process of engagement pertinent information about this student was obtained. (AS) spoke about her culture, family, past school history and why she feels she needs counseling.