Part 1
A: Imagine you are working as an aged care support worker for an individual who receives support in their home. You spend a lot of time at the house and have developed a great rapport with the whole family; they treat you like part of the family.
On one occasion, the family tries to give you a gift.
B: There are many other potential ethical issues that may arise from working closely with a family or an individual. Identity one (1) other potential ethical issue or dilemma that may arise. Complete the table:
C: Imagine that the family asks you to do some extra weekend cleaning or other support work for cash:
1. What is the potential conflict of interest?
The situation leads to personal and professional conflicts of interest.
2. What action should you take? (50-100 words)
According to the National Ethics Committee of the Veterans Health Administration (2003), every healthcare professional must be aware of any situation that is likely to make them behave in a manner that violates the professionally acceptable standards. In the above scenario, the patient nurse should make the client understand it is wrong to give the extra nurse duties other than the one assigned by his or her profession. Second, the nurse should also report the issue to the hospital management so that they can caution the patient’s family and any other client practicing similar activities.
Part 2
As a care support worker in aged care and home and community, your clients may be elderly or you may be called upon to provide care support for younger people with a disability. You will also be working with people from diverse cultures and ethnicities, and you will undoubtedly come across some beliefs or behaviors that are different to yours.
A: There are two competing value systems in this scenario: the family value academia very highly and place this at the top of Ji-yoon’s agenda; as her support worker, you value her individual plan and the associated activities, such as her engagement in physiotherapy and speech therapy.
Identify and briefly describe one (1) technique you could use to solve this problem of competing value systems. (50-100 words)
The scenario of Ji-yoon offers two competing value system. The first step in solving the scenario is prioritizing all competing values and standards of behavior. The second step involves having a discussion with Ji-yoon's parents to make them understand the impact of their decision on their daughter's growth. Parents should be taken through some ethical and societal standards to make them understand more aware of the importance of giving Ji-yoon a chance to undertake her therapy. After engaging parents, a cost-benefit analysis is done to establish the most effective decision.
B: How can you ensure your personal values and attitudes do not impact on your work, and you engage in non-judgmental practice when supporting people with different ideas and cultures to your own? (50-100 words)
The success of any plan involving human beings requires making the right decision at the right time and using the right process. Criteria for making an ethical decision should conform to societal morals (Foster, & Lasser 2011). Every decision should take into account the needs of every person involved in the scenario. The application of a moral framework to ethical decisions eliminates personal values of the person responsible for making a decision about two conflicting values. Second, moral principles and standards assist in personal culture and values do not influence the decision made.
C: Imagine that Ji-yoon adds you as a friend on a social networking site. Would it be a breach of professional boundaries if you accepted her request? Briefly, explain your answer. (50-100 words)
I would reject the friend request. Healthcare professionals, especially therapists, should be very careful about the people they invite or share within the social media circle. Accepting a friend request in the social media means inviting clients to my personal life that is against professional codes of standards. Additionally, accepting the friend request sends some mixed information to clients. Clients are aware of therapeutic boundaries and may want to test the health provider’s ability to maintain such boundaries. The issue may interfere with issues such as trust, safety, professional-nurse confidentiality, conflicts of interests, and even lead to rejection (Kolmes 2010).
Policies, protocols and industry jargon
Part 3
A: Complete the table below regarding workplace policies and procedures.
B: As an aged care support worker, it is vital that you understand some key terminology, or jargon, related to working legally and ethically in your industry.
In your words, explain what the difference is between ‘code of conduct' and ‘code of practice' as it relates to care support work. (50-100 words)
A code of conduct refers to organization set of rules that influence employees’ behaviors and should be applied in specific ethical scenarios such as acceptance of gifts or conflicts of interests. On the contrary, a code of practice is set of professional ethics used to regulate the action of an employee of an agency or governmental organization. It defines what is professionally ethical when in a specific circumstance.
C: In your words, define each of the terms in the table, and briefly describe an example to illustrate what this term means, or how it may be applied.
D: When communicating your organization’s service information to an individual receiving support, their carer, or family, why is it essential that you consider how to communicate the information in a clear and easy to understand way? (50-100 words)
A healthcare professional must consider different factors when delivering information to the client, the caregiver, or the family. Considering the mode of communication ensures a common understanding between the provider and the recipient. Additionally, it ensures the recipient receives relevant information. Moreover, creating understanding allows the patient to ask for clarifications where the communication may seem unclear by asking questions (Interprofessional Ambulatory Care Unit n.d).
References List
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https://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/confiden.html. [Accessed: 11 April, 2016].
Foster, I. R., & Lasser, J. (2011). Professional ethics in midwifery practice. Sudbury, Mass,
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Retrieved April 06, 2016 from http://www.nursetogether.com/professionalism-in-nursing-what-does-it-re
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Kolmes, K. (2010). A Psychotherapist's Guide to Facebook and Twitter: Why Clinicians Should
Give a Tweet! Psychotherapu.net. https://www.psychotherapy.net/article/psychotherapists-guide-social-media#section-managing-friend-requests. [Accessed: 11 April 2016].
National Ethics Committee of the Veterans Health Administration. (2003, July). Ethical
Boundaries in the Patient-Clinician Relationship. Health Administration Department of Veterans Affairs: National Center for Ethics in Health Care Veterans
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