Jackie: The Impaired Nurse The case scenario portrayed Jackie, as a typical nurse who was conflicted and stressed out from both the demands of family and of the workplace environment. At home, she was pressured by her husband to take on extra overtime to supplement and augment the family income. Thus, in spite of feeling that her skills were not current, Jackie signed on with her previous hospital to be on the flexible staffing pool (Badzek, et al., 1998). As expected, “Jackie did find the work extremely stressful. She rarely had the same unit and patient assignment” (Badzek, et al., 1998). With the mounting stress imposed by the conditions at work, “Jackie began to divert narcotics. Jackie was able to justify her actions because she …show more content…
Michelle viewed the patients as “vulnerable, have the right to safe, skilled care administered by a nurse who is mentally and physically able to perform certain nursing duties” (Sullivan, 1994, p. 21). As discussed further by Sullivan (1998) “the major ethical issue in impaired practice is the conflict between the rights of the nurses for fair and humane treatment and the rights of patients for safe and competent care” (p. 21). “It was evident that “there was a tension between Jackie’s right to confidentiality and Michele’s duty to warn innocent, vulnerable others if she believes there is a serious threat of harm” (Badzek, et al., 1998). In most cases, employers would be advocating for the patients and the state boards of nursing would be protecting the public. However, one question remained, who, then, would be “responsible for assisting impaired nurses” (Sullivan, 1998, p. 21)? Thus, “when nurses’ rights are in opposition to patients’ rights, ethical dilemmas surface. The challenge is to balance these rights so that the needs of both are protected” (Sullivan, 1994, p. 21). However, as Sullivan (1994) aptly cited, “resolution of these dilemmas must be based on thoughtful analysis and critical application of the competitive ethical principles of autonomy, justice, beneficence, and nonmaleficence” (p. …show more content…
91). Also, “the nurse manager must be cognizant of both law and ethics in everyday management concerns, remembering that ethical principles form the essential base of knowledge from which to proceed, rather than giving easy, straightforward answers” (Yoder-Wise, 2014, p. 91). In addition, nurse managers must be able to differentiate what is legal and what is ethical. However, “today, ethics and legal issues often become entwined, and it may be difficult to separate ethics from legal concerns. Legal principles and doctrines assist the nurse manager in decision making; ethical theories and principles are often involved in those decisions” (Yoder-Wise, 2014, p. 91). Therefore, the nurse administrator would be challenged to blend legal demands with ethical considerations, taking into account “that no right or wrong exist in ethical situations, merely better or worse solutions. Consider all aspects and consult with others before proceeding if there are unanswered questions” (Yoder-Wise, 2014, p.