Assignment

"Advanced Practice Nurses are expected to be leaders in recognizing and resolving moral problems, creating ethical practice environments, and promoting social justice in the larger health care system" (Hamric & Delgado, 2014, p. 328). Ethical decision making in nursing is a core competency for all Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs).

Florence Nightingale would agree with the above statement as she emphasized ethical decision making in personal and professional aspects of life. According to Barbara Dossey, PhD, a Florence Nightingale scholar:

Florence Nightingale is indeed a role model for us when we are faced with ethical dilemmas. She saw "ethical knowing" as valuing and clarifying situations to create formal behaviors, expressions and dimensions of both morality and ethics intersecting with duties; today these would be considered legally prescribed duties. Ethical knowing included daily decisions of right and wrong; what should be done in practice, in personal conduct and behaviors; priorities; responsibilities; and advocacy for the patient, nurse, hospital, clinic, environment and society (Dossey, 2010).

In this assignment you will explore the ethical decision making competency and attempt to apply the principles you have read about to your clinical work as a Family Nurse Practitioner. The paper is not to exceed 7 pages, double-spaced, not including the cover and reference pages. The guidelines for this assignment are as follows:

WE ARE PRESENTING THIS THIS EXAMPLE: Nurses working with patients that are in a vegetative state; should these patients be left on life support?

Calabro's Participative Ethical Decision-Making (PEDM) Model offers tools for resolving such conflicts. The model, which Mary Calabro, NP, developed in 1997, provides a guide to address ethical dilemmas in an equitable manner.

1) Complete the readings up to and including this week.

2) Pick a clinical situation in your present or past work setting that presented an ethical dilemma.

3) Without identifying those involved by name, describe the situation in detail including the setting, individuals involved and outcome.

4) Identify the specific ethical characteristic(s) of the dilemma as outlined in your text. Was this a communication problem, interdisciplinary conflict, multiple commitments dilemma? If not one of these, can you identify another ethical dilemma characteristic?

5) What ethical principle(s) was violated? Give the principle and describe specifically how it (they) was violated.

6) What barriers to ethical practice were present? Refer to your textbook to identify the possible barriers present.

7) If the same situation occurred again, now that you have more knowledge about ethical decision making, which ethical theory would you use to help guide you in influencing the outcome. Why did you choose this theory?

8) Conclusion- Summarize the overall situation and outcome and how you felt about the ethical dilemma when it occurred. Describe your emotions, thoughts and overall reaction. Do you think that you will have a different perspective if a similar situation occurs again when you are working as a Family Nurse Practitioner?