Nurse leaders face various moral, ethical, and legal issues in the workplace. Scenario four presented in the Potter-O’Grady and Mallock (2016) text illustrates an uncomfortable, yet not terribly rare instance of a nurse-nurse ethical dilemma (p.225). The background of the situation is that a unit is experiencing an issue with a nurse who is habitually late, expresses dissatisfaction with her assigned work and refuses to be a team player. She is also related to and very open about her relationship with a well-respected physician in the facility. Finally, the nurse in question has yet to be confronted by her nurse manager or any other staff members. The facts that can be verified are that she is habitually tardy, questions work assignments, demonstrates …show more content…
First, the nurse manager and the unit are at risk of experiencing ethical erosion. Ethical erosion is described by Potter-O’Grady and Mallock (2016), is the slow and progressive wasting away of ethical standards that occurs when deviations from the norm become commonplace. Second, it is likely that the nurses’ behavior has not been addressed because peers have rationalized her behavior or because others may feel they would be overstepping boundaries or may fear reprisal for speaking out against her. Next, her tardiness as well as her dissatisfaction with assigned work likely create additional workload for others and place the safety of patients at risk. Meanwhile, her reluctance to collaborate with peers tears down team cohesiveness, increases animosity, and builds resentment within the work center. Furthermore, by not addressing the issue the nurse manager is acting unfairly and is at risk of losing credibility among …show more content…
While discussion about work assignments is encouraged, nurses must have valid reasons for refusing work assignments. Allowing one nurse and not others to refuse assignments out of convenience creates an unfair environment. It is also imperative that nurse manager review work expectations regarding patient safety, timeliness, teamwork, and professional and unprofessional relationships with the nurse in question as well as with all employees. Furthermore, obtaining documentation of understanding in writing would be a great way for both parties to establish a solid starting point. After expectations clearly set, the nurse can be given the opportunity to self-correct the behaviors. If the behaviors continue, the nurse manager can seek to escalate the issue through Human Resources or other appropriate administrative
Pam should change Renee’s shift schedule, not because Felix’s wife complained, but because it is the right thing to do. Renee’s schedule engenders considerable risks. Pam knew Renee’s schedule was not sensible. Pam had noticed that Renee looked exhausted mid-rotation. Like many managers, she was afraid to make waves. It is burdensome to go against the status quo, particularly over scheduling, something that exerts a great deal of control over an individual’s live. Pam succumbed to her own feelings for Renee’s economic woes. In general, nurse managers which to extend their caring relationships to those that report to them, but that is not their primary obligation. Nurse managers have an obligation to ensure safe nursing practice and high quality
Case Study #1 Per Finkelman and Kenner (2016), ethics is “standardized code or guide to behavior” (p 174). They also state the four principles to help nurses in ethical issues and ethical decisions such as autonomy, beneficence, justice and veracity (Finkelman & Kenner, 2016). After reading the case study about Linda RN in a psychiatric unit the author of this paper will identify the ethical dilemma and what professional legal standards are in danger of violation. Another important factor to consider is, could Linda lose her license and how could she avoided this to begin with.
Consider this case: Jane is the evening charge nurse (RN) and has worked on your floor for the past 10 years. Her patient care skills are adequate. She gives curt answers and is hostile. You notice this behavior toward other nurses and non-nursing team members, too. She tells staff they are lazy and incompetent, requiring her to either do the job herself or monitor their work with close supervision, making her workload more challenging. The manager has addressed this issue with Jane once before. The behaviors stopped for a while
Ethical dilemmas are a common issue in the health care setting. Since many sensitive topics have no clear right or wrong answer, it is important for nurses to properly understand how to approach these matters. Typically, nurses are the ones who get to know patients on a more personal level by developing a therapeutic relationship with them overtime. Therefore, nurses recognize these complex situations and are required to intervene when it’s necessary. Two principals within the ANA Code of Ethics that pertain to the ethical dilemma I saw are; “The nurse’s primary commitment is to the person, whether an individual or part of a family, group, or community.” and “The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the person.” (American Nurses Association (ANA), 2008).
Nursing practices are developed around the patient and nurses work hard to provide ethical, patient-centered care. However, sometimes a “situation arises when attempted adherence to basic ethical principles results in two conflicting courses of action” (Taylor, Lillis, LeMone, & Lynn, 2011, p. 97). This is called an ethical dilemma. The Massachusetts nurse feels she cannot handle the overtime, yet she is responsible to provide care in accordance with the Code of Ethics for Nurses and there are no set practices at her facility that can be employed help with this situation.
Ethical Issues and Ethical Decision-Making in Nursing Health care is an arena where ethical issues frequently arises in practice. Nursing is not an exception in this regard. From the past, nursing has been considered as the caring profession, so patients trust nurses, and often nurses are involved in the decision making process. However, in practice, nurses sometimes focus more on the beneficence of the patient overriding the patient’s autonomy, and conflicts may arise. The patient’s decisions and wishes are disregarded for their well-being.
In this case study, it is apparent that Judie has high values as a nurse. Her goal has clearly been to always attend to her patients which is very rewarding to her. Judie has been a nurse manager on her unit for ten years. She is obviously a very loyal employee and is looked up to by her superiors. Being a nurse manager takes dedication and patience along with a lot of hard work, which are evident values that Judie holds. Judie also values her family, she is a good provider and it is important to her that her family sees her happy and not frustrated. Judie’s is now in a situation where her values are being compromised and she has a big decision to make.
Integrity, one of the personal values I uphold, would specifically influence my decision to report the behavior exhibited by my colleague. Although the decision is difficult, I would consult with the nurse
Another aspect of ethical dilemmas nurses must deal with is to remain caring, compassionate, kind, or, benevolent toward others (Winland-Brown, Lachman, & Swanson, 2015). One reason nurses become nurses, is because they want to help others. Nurses must show up to work daily and help people in need, even when at times it seems they do not want help. Nurses must also work to do no harm, even when faced with situations where they must cause pain or discomfort in order to help someone (Neil, 2015). They must fight daily to be good leaders in their department or field, and always be accountable when it comes to themselves, their coworkers, and their patients. Benevolence becomes more difficult still as nurses leave their jobs and try to
As a nurse manager, you have to some roles of accountability for your staff member and unit. Justin reports on every Monday before 10 a.m., he is required to turn in the employee’s time sheet to human resource. If the time sheets are not turned in before 10 a.m., his employee will not receive a paycheck. He is also responsible for making sure his
Nurse managers may overlook the behavior of other nurses “eating their young” for fear of reprimands. Currently in transplant administration, it resides. We have several transplant coordinators taking call for the first time and some of the partners are allowing the new coordinators to struggle. Ultimately, employee morale suffers in the long
In the case of violations, the nurse is supposed to provide a professional conduct and direction with regard to the safety of the facility and patient. The nurse will be focused on reporting the matter to the higher authorities, trying to salvage the situation in case it is within his/her ability, and finally respond to patient's desires amidst consultations. he/she should do all these under an informed consent. In case none of the situations happens, the nurse is to take every responsibility fit for the patient. For instance, he/she should consult within his/her profession, administer what is best for the patient, and recover every lost opportunity to save on the life of the patient. However, this ideal situation in the form of an interview
The nurses responsibilities in this situation are to follow policies and procedures and to remain in their scope of practice. Seek advice from your RN, maybe some professional counselling or group disgusion can be used to de stress and express any concerns.
As a new nurse, I feel as if I can set the tone for my practice by standing firm with regards to ethics. According to Lasala & Bjarnason (2010), “All nurses can demonstrate leadership by role modeling ethical behaviors based on established nursing practice standards”. This includes taking a stand in a situation which impedes the ethical principles of a patient.
Key issues in this scenario involve inadequate staffing, delicateness of the situation, and the ineffective coordination and communication by the charge nurse regarding patient assignments. Staffing would be appropriate if the charge nurse Sherry takes on a patient assignment, along with the recently hired staff nurse James in caring for the nine patients. Delicateness of the situation involves a woman with breast cancer being cared for and prepared for a mastectomy by a male nurse. This lady is obviously uncomfortable to the point that she does not speak to James. Nursing leaders place faith in the capabilities