Introduction
As a nurse, you will see firsthand the difficult decisions people must make and about their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
While some problems can be solved by gathering more information or by consulting the law, not all decisions are so clear cut. Many times your patients will be faced with difficult decisions because more than one reasonable answer exists or there is conflict between two or more ethical ideas.
How can anyone make decisions on such weighty matters and have confidence they are doing the right thing? Continue on to the Task page to learn about Nursing Ethics
Task
Ethics and Nursing Practice
In order to make sure you behave ethically you need to know more about ethics in general, the Nurse Practice Act of the State in which you will practice, and the Standards of Nursing Care that are common to all nurse regardless of where they practice.
Once you have learned more about ethics you will move on to read about Ed. Read Ed's case and while you do please keep in mind that this case study is based on a real patient and real events. Keep in mind the ethical and legal principles you have read about and begin thinking of ways to apply them to Ed's case. Would you have acted the same as the individuals in the case or not? Why? Think critically about what you are reading. You will be answering a series of weighty questions later.
Your tasks are...
- Visit the links provided and learn more about ethics, the Utah State Nurse Practice Act and the Standards of Nursing Care.
- Read the case study and think about what you are reading while you read. Thinking critically now will help you answer questions.
- Look up Utah's Nurse Practice Act and identify two regulations that apply to the nurse's role in this case.
- Answer the questions. First person is fine, but cite sources if you use them.
- Review the rubric to make certain you understand and have met the requirements for this assignment.
- Submit your answers as directed by your instructor. Watch the deadline!
Process
Download the questions sheet so you will know what kinds of information you will be expected to know at the end of this WebQuest, and take a look at the rubric so you know how your work will be graded.
Once you have done that, simply begin reading and work your way through the sources and the case study, answering the associated questions as you go if you would like. Once you have completed the Web Quest, record your answers, review your work, and submit your answers to your instructor per his or her instructions.
Image source: www.goodtogoinsurance.com/public/news/199
Where to Find Information
The following are links to some of the basic information you need to know as a new practicing nurse. Of course, there is much more to learn in the field of ethics, but this will help familiarize you will the basic ideas that you will use to help guide your practice as a nurse.
Standards of Nursing Care:
Ethics and Nursing:
- Nursing World Ethics
- Nursing Ethics Blog
- Washington Hospital Heathcare System Professional Code
- Medical Ethics at Wikipedia
- UK Clinical Ethics Network
In order to truly understand what you read you will need to know specific words and how they are used in ethics. Click herefor a short list of some brief definitions of the most common words and ideas, but if this is not enough please do more research.
The Nurse Practice Act
Every State has a Nurse Practice Act, though the name might be slightly different from place to place. The NPA tells nurses what they can and cannot do, defines their responsibilities and sets their scope of practice. States can vary widely on what they allow practical and registered nurses to do, so you must know the NPA and your scope of practice in each State where you will work. Failure to follow the guidelines set for here can result in you losing your license or even being held accountable in a civil or criminal court. Know your scope of practice.
As a student you need to be familiar with the Utah State Nurse Practice Act because you are held accountable for complying with its demands even as a student. For example, a nurse can lose his/her license for leaving or abandoning their patient. Makes sense, doesn't it? But as a student you think, I cannot be held accountable because I really don't have any patients. While that may technically be true in a sense, you are still held accountable to remain at your clinical site as assigned. The student who leaves their post without their instructor's permission soon finds that they are no longer in nursing school!
Standards of Practice
Nurses also follow the Nursing Standards of Practice. As a nurse you always need to ask yourself, am I doing what any competent, reasonable, trained nurse would do under the same circumstances? If the answer is no or if you do not know, then you need to stop immediately and get help from your charge nurse, the Director of Nurses, or the house supervisor. Failure to proceed in a competent, ethical manner grounded in evidence-based practice is a sure way to lose your license or even end up in court.
Image source: http://commons.wikimedia.org
Ed's Case
Now that you know a bit more than when you started this Web Quest you are ready to read about a real patient, Ed. This case is based on a real case and is an excellent example of conflicting ethical principles. We don't usually have problems making decisions when the choices are clear-cut. Our problems come when we can see more than one correct action or there is more than one desired result. When our ethical principles or concepts of right and wrong clash, we find ourselves in an ethical dilemma. Once you have read the information in this Web Quest, explore a bit on your own and then seriously considered the Ed's case you will have a better idea of how ethical dilemmas develop and how they should or should not be resolved.
Answer the Questions and Submit Your Work
Answer the questions found here and then submit them to your instructor according to his or her instructions. First person is fine, but if you use outside sources you will need to properly cite those. Don't forget to review the rubric!
Submit your answers as directed by your instructor. Watch the deadline!