04 Dec A HISTORY OF NURSING ETHICS
The Nuremberg trials at the close of WWII offered disturbing questions. How can “good” people in traditionally honor-bound professions become complicit in some of the worst violations of humanity in history? What happens when individual professionals are not held to account by their peers, professions, and society as a whole? The trials showed how moral individuals within organizations can engage in morally “wrong” functions. “I was just following orders,” complicit healthcare providers, doctors, and nurses claimed.
Morality refers to principles that help determine what is “right” and what is “wrong.” Ethics is the related field that puts these principles to work to:
apply moral principles to choose “right” actions,
conduct relationships in an ethical manner, and
manage situations where a “right” action is clear but for some reason not possible.
Using what we have learned this week- read the ethical dilemma below and explain your response and actions:
Nurse Is Instructed to Have Patient with Low Literacy Level to Sign Consent for Treatment
Scenario: Nurse Gloria is instructed by the attending physician to have Mr. Isaacs sign a consent form before a scheduled colonoscopy. As Nurse Gloria goes over the form with the patient, she notices he seems confused and is unsure where or how to sign the paperwork.
Ethical Dilemma: It is common for nurses to be the ones to get signatures on consent forms, especially for procedures like the one described in this scenario. When faced with a situation like the one here when the nurse is not sure that the patient understands what he is being told or if he can read, the decision of whether to delay a busy schedule to have the doctor come back and talk to the patient or explain to the best of her knowledge and get the patient’s signature may seem difficult to make.
After carefully reviewing the ethical dilemma provided, you are asked to engage in a critical, reflective analysis that demonstrates both depth of thought and scholarly rigor. Your essay should address the following guiding questions:
1. Emotional Focus: What is the central emotional concern or focus of the individual in this scenario?
2. Ethical Principles: Which ethical principles are most relevant to this situation, and how are they being challenged or upheld?
3. Implications of Nursing Actions: What are the short- and long-term implications of the nurse’s actions within this context?
4. Personal Reflection and Current Actions: How do you interpret this scenario in relation to your own professional practice? What actions are you currently taking, and how do these reflect your priorities, emotional intelligence (EI), and evidence-based practice (EBP)?
Essay Requirements
• Structure: Your submission must be written as a formal essay, including:
• A clear introduction that frames the ethical dilemma and outlines the purpose of your analysis.
• Body paragraphs that address the guiding questions at a graduate level, integrating theory, ethical frameworks, and evidence-based reasoning.
• A conclusion that synthesizes your key insights, highlights implications for nursing practice, and reinforces the importance of ethical decision-making.
• Length: The essay should be a minimum of 3 full pages and no more than 5 pages [there will be a penalty for exceeding the page count-be concise], excluding the cover page and reference list.
• Sources: You are required to incorporate at least four [4] current scholarly sources (peer-reviewed journal articles or academic books) to support your analysis.
• Formatting: All work must adhere strictly to APA guidelines for formatting, in-text citations, and references.
• Rubric: Please review the grading rubric carefully to ensure that all criteria are addressed.
Academic Support and Resources
Remember, you are not alone in this process. If you encounter challenges with writing, organization, or APA formatting, I strongly encourage you to make use of the Writing Studio. Likewise, if you need assistance locating appropriate peer-reviewed sources, the university library and its librarians are invaluable partners in your success. Both of these services are free of charge and designed to support you as a graduate student. Seeking out these resources is not a sign of weakness, it is a hallmark of scholarly professionalism and self-advocacy.
