Part One
When is it ethically responsible to leave a job or leave the profession?
Leaving a job requires careful consideration. Making the ethical decision to leave a profession is difficult and complex. It is not an easy choice to leave the profession (Wilson-Barnett, 1986). Ethical reasons to leave a job may have something to do with the department you work. Different professions have ethical codes that help their practitioners to leave their profession in an honorable way. A good professional knows more than working for the organization but also when to leave it. In Nursing, the America n Nurses Association (ANA) is an example of such a code. This code outlines the important general duties, responsibilities and roles of the nurse. It helps nurses to make ethical decision to leave the profession.
Nurses face moral distress because their profession makes them experience moral distress. This is because they cannot leave patients in distressing situations. Nurses should receive training and debriefing before they leave their professions. Ethics education and training will help the nurses leave the nursing field in an ethical way. Nurses should not leave their patients in distressing situations. He should name the distress and the experience causing moral distress. This will allow the managers and supervisors to help the nurse to make ethical decision of leaving the nursing profession (Corey et al., 2011). The supervisors will assign other nurse to the patients in distressing situations as the distressed nurse prepares to leave the nursing field.
Part 2
How do you leave the profession?
Leaving the profession must happen in a way that the remaining work will continue without problems. This should not leave the organization in a position that will not hire you back in case you want to come back. You write a formal letter to your immediate supervisor explaining the reasons why you are leaving the nursing profession (Parry, 2008). Your supervisor will report the same to the management of the hospital facility.
Part 3
How to deal with ethical dilemma in the nursing career
Nurses face many ethical dilemmas every day. Their varied roles present them with situations that require ethical decisions. The decisions have an impact to the patients and on them. An ethical dilemma is a problem that has no satisfying solution. Ethical decision making rests on the issue that there are many ethical choices pertaining the same ethical problem. One ethical choice can result to the right or wrong decision.
Ethical decision-making calls for nurses to make decisions that cause no harm to the patient and themselves. Making an ethical decision depends on the knowledge and experience a nurse has. Knowledge of the nurse increases depending on beliefs, values and training. This results to many ethical choices for one dilemma.
Nurses should make ethical decisions guided by the code of ethics. Understanding the processes and ethical deliberations facilitate the nurses to acknowledge that they should do the best in difficult situations. Developing moral wisdom through seeking advice from other professionals that might have encountered the same is important in dealing with ethical dilemmas.
Nurses need to examine the evidence of the case before making a resolution that could result in death. The nurses should ask themselves what they know and what they do not know about the case (Nursingworld.org, 2014). They should also consider alternative solutions bearing in mind whether personal bias exists in the assessment of the dilemma. Finally, the nurse needs to consider the availability of the resources to solve the dilemma.
References
Corey, G., Corey, M. S., & Callanan, P. (2011). Issues and ethics in the helping professions. Belmont, Calif: Brooks/Cole.
Nursingworld.org. (2014). Ethical Issues. [Online] Retrieved from: http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/Resources [Accessed: 23 Mar 2014].
Parry, J. (2008). Intention to leave the profession: antecedents and role in nurse turnover. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 64(2), 157-167.
Wilson-Barnett, J. (1986). Ethical dilemmas in nursing. 12 (3), p. 123. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1375348/ [Accessed: 23 Mar 2014].
