Ethical Issues Concept Map

NURS 412: Ethics, Law, Economics, Policy

 

Purpose of Assignment

The purpose of the assignment is to provide the student with an opportunity to analyze an ethical issue in healthcare. An ethical decision-making model will be used along with application of ethical principles and the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses.

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Student Approach to Assignment

This assignment was personal to me, as it discusses an actual situation that occurred in my workplace. It was an exercise in evaluating difficult moral decisions in healthcare, of which I encounter frequently. By considering multiple perspectives of the scenario, I exemplify empathy with all of the parties involved, including the patient, family, and medical team, and I was reminded that there are not always straightforward solutions to medicine. Creating this concept map shows my personal thought process for solving an ethical dilemma by using the MORAL pneumonic (Massage, Options, Resolve, Act, Look back).

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Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio 

I included this in my portfolio because it represents the numerous ethical decisions I must make in my nursing career. It shows my personal thought process regarding what options I have in a difficult choice, and the professional guidance that I will use going forward for similar situations.

 

Domain 1: Knowledge for Nursing Practice

(1) Identify concepts, derived from theories from nursing and other disciplines, which distinguish the practice of nursing.

When considering the appropriate course of action, I utilize the ANA Code of Ethics to help guide my decision. Concepts such as patient advocacy and commitment to the patient and family are highlighted, which I show to be important to consider in my role as a nurse in the scenario. The ANA Code of Ethics is unique to nurses, and this concept map serves as a perfect demonstration for how to apply it into practice.

Domain 3: Population Health

 (22) Demonstrates effective collaboration and mutual accountability with relevant stakeholders.

In this project, I outline three stakeholders who are relevant to my ethical dilemma: the patient, the patient’s family, and the medical treatment team. I demonstrate how to effectively collaborate with each party, balancing advocacy for the patient, respect and consideration for the family, and duty to the medical team. With each possible solution to the dilemma, I include the possible meaning for each stakeholder, including whether or not the patient’s last wishes are followed, and whether or not the patient survives.

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Domain 9: Professionalism

(42) Advocates for professional standards of practice using organizational and political processes

I once again meet this outcome clearly in the discussion of the ANA Code of Ethics. Given the ethical dilemma, I utilize Provisions 2 and 3 of the Code of Ethics to help me determine the correct course of action out of the outlined options. These provisions eliminated unethical choices from the options and ultimately led me to advocate for a professional decision to respect the patient’s original wish to be a DNR/DNI.

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Download a Word document of my Intro Page here.

View my Ethical Concept Map presentation here:

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