Uustal (1993) Decision-making Model
Registered nurses face many confusing scenarios that lead to an ethical dilemma. I was given the responsibility of caring for the elderly woman, 75 years old, in his home by my supervisor. The relationship between the woman, her family members, and I grew stronger each day, and they would term me as part of their family. After three months of continuous therapy and checkup, the condition of the women improved. The family was very happy and decided to offer me a gift in the form of cash as a reward for the excellent job I did. I was very confused when they called me and requested I should go for my reward.
A nurse is not entitled to taking gifts of any type from the patient. However, I there is nothing wrong with accepting the reward it was out of the patient’s will and I had not my demand. I had to seek professional help to assist me to deal with the dilemma. The code of professional conduct guides the nurse towards making moral and sound decisions when faced with specific situations. It is important to examine the evidence of the case anytime faced with an ethical dilemma to determine the best course of action (Kaplan, 2016).
The Uustal decision-making model plays a significant role in assisting health providers to overcome this and other ethical dilemmas that influence their ability to perform medical duties. The model aids in value clarification and plays a critical role in assisting experts in nursing practice overcome ethical demands in the process of delivering care (Lundy, Janes, & Lundy, 2016).
Step 1: Identifying the objective
The personal nursing philosophy guides individual nurses towards identifying their objectives in the delivery of care. My objective is to offer care with compassion and kindness and observe the professional code of ethics. The objective helps in determining the next action when faced with the ethical dilemma.
The ethical dilemma offers two options that seem right, but one is morally acceptable. Other options available in the scenario include reporting the matter to the workplace or seeking advice from my colleagues.
Step 3: Identifying implicated values
Two values are at stake in this situation. The family wants to offer me a gift and recommend my services. Second, the professional code of ethics does not allow me to take any form of a gift from a patient. Both values have a major impact on my career.
Step 4: Access the importance of the decision
The two implicated values have a lot of significance. However, the value that helps me maintain my profession has more weight; hence, worth following.
Step 5: Budgeting personal time and energy
Coming up with the final decision requires a lot of time and energy. I will utilize my time and energy seeking opinions from experts, reading books and other sources, and sharing my problem with my supervisors to help in making the decision. Additionally, I will involve my clients in the decision-making process to help them understand my professional obligations.
Step 6: Chose a decision-making strategy
The decision-making strategy selected will be the one yielding ethical and moral outcomes.
Step 7: Identifying options
Other options I have in mind include taking the family through a the nurse’s code of professional ethics to help them understand the reason behind ignoring the gift.
Step 8: Evaluate options
Each of the options presented has both benefits and disadvantages. The step assists in ranking options from the most important to the least important.
Step 9: Making personal choice
I chose to engage the health care management team in the process to help me make a decision. The management will decide whether to keep the gift and share it with other staff members or ignore it and caution the family against such practices.
References
Kaplan, C. (2016). Ethical Dilemmas. Advanced Healthcare Network. Retrieved 25 April. 2016
Lundy, K. S., Janes, S., & Lundy, K. S. (2016). Community health nursing: Caring for the
public's health. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning
