Ethics is essential in the medical profession. Nurses may face many ethical issues on a daily basis. When developing a strong sense of ethics, one must determine which one best fits their personal virtue ideals and what is common practice in their profession. Even though we think out all of the options it is important to realize that we are all human and sometimes we do make the wrong decisions ("A framework for," 2012). If the option turns out to be the wrong one it is important to rethink the situation and test other options that also fit with our sense of virtue ("A framework for," 2012). Ethical ideals change with the time, for example, with the age of technology it is much more important than ever for nurses to remain willing to adapt to new technology for the greater good of the patient.
In the medical field it is essential to minimize risk in any way possible. Casual interference refers to legal responsibility, health claims, and policy interventions, I feel that this will be my greatest ethical challenge as a DNP-prepared nurse. By minimizing risk we can also minimize casual interference. The first step is to determine what the risks are. This includes a general understanding of the factors, the ability to avoid these factors, the suddenness, duration, and intensity/ seriousness of risk (CDC, 2012). Other issues may be the many societal factors that may also contribute. Certain age groups can be more susceptible to health risks, especially children and the elderly (CDC, 2012). Other groups can also have harder times coping, such as immigrants that do not speak the language, low visibility groups such as the poor or handicapped, those with prior mental illness, those in group homes or hospitals, and workers that assist in disaster relief or health care (CDC, 2012). Also ethical issue such as culture, race, and ethnicity of patients should be understood and respected. For example, once when I was eorking within a practice I witnessed a fellow nurse make a negative cultural stereotype in regards to a patient. The nurse’s judgment based on their cultures caused the patient to feel uncomfortable and no longer wish to pursue interaction with this nurse. The nurse should have avoided making assumption regarding culture and focused on the facts presents by the patient. The patient felt ill and unwilling to speak with that nurse for fear of judgment. This hindered the quality of care the patient received.
Decision making methods are a learning process, one may not always end up with optimal results, but by being prepared and thinking carefully one can lessen the chance of making a poor decision. In the medical field decisions can sometimes be life or death. Keeping a cool head and always thinking with honesty, integrity, and compassion in mind will surely help afford me success in nursing.
Works Cited:
A framework for thinking ethically. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/framework.html
CDC. (2012). Disaster mental health primer: Key principles, issues and questions. Retrieved from http://www.bt.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/primer.asp
