Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

In:

Submitted By leesaxyz
Words 435
Pages 2
Cohen and Erickson (2006) point out that ethical dilemmas arise from situations that involve conflicting values or beliefs about what is the right or the best course of action. In such situations, conflict may arise between two or more ethical principles, and each possible solution to the conflict may contain undesirable outcomes for one or more parties involved. In a moral dilemma, nurses identify that two opposing courses of action can be justified and are unsure about which alternative should be taken. Moral distress occurs when nurses know the right course of action but feel powerless to act on the choice because of institutional obstacles or policies, hierarchical power structures, lack of resources, lack of support, or legal limits (Cohen & Erickson, 2006).

The ethical principles and rules that commonly guide nursing practice and patient care include nonmaleficence, beneficence, autonomy, fidelity, veracity, and justice. Cohen & Erickson (2006) describe them as:

Nonmaleficence =obligation to do no harm
Beneficence = moral obligation to act for the good of others
Autonomy = respecting the right of all people to make choices and decisions freely based on their own individual values and beliefs
Respect= treating all people, including patients, coworkers, and one’s self, and the workplace with a sense of worth
Fidelity = faithfulness, particularly the duty to honor commitments made to others
Veracity = actions and beliefs that are based on the values of truth, accuracy, and honest Justice = all people should be treated fairly and available resources should be used equitably
Conflicts between nurses and other healthcare providers may include disagreements over informed consent, a patient’s resuscitation status, futility of treatment, truth telling, and the meaning of “death with dignity.” How an individual nurse perceives and reacts to a

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Personal Ethics Ethics could be described as one of the most popular term heard in the health systems these days. While ethics can be said as a important part of the care, ethics is also be said as personal. Discerning the right and wrong when facing dilemmas can be the simplest way of describing the ethics. Ethics begin with the moral reasoning of the individual and as the moral reasoning of the individual can be formed by the individual's cultural, religious, social and educational values and backgrounds. So the ethics can be personal to each individual and it may not be possible to have different individuals share identical ethical values although similarities could be possible. Like many professions, nursing also have the code of ethics to assist the professionals to resolve the dilemmas and discern between the accepted and non accepted practises. The nursing profession, like many other professions, has its own code of ethics to help the nurses to determine the acceptable and non acceptable situations and actions, the rights and responsibilities that are approved by the nursing board and society. (Garrett, Baillie, McGeehan, & Garret, 2010). The protection of individual’s rights is well defined in the code of ethics while it also set forth a standard of care for the patients under the professional care of the nurses. In this essay, the writer is attempting to discuss the impacts of one’s personal, spiritual and cultural aspects on the ethical situations of the professional...

Words: 1211 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative University of New Mexico http://danielsethics.mgt.unm.edu Integrating Business Ethics in Business Courses INTRODUCTION Teaching business ethics requires an understanding of the organizational dimensions of ethical decisionmaking. Although most people believe that employees learn to be ethical at home and school and through life experiences, the work environment creates challenges for even the most ethical person. For example, employees cannot always make independent ethical decisions due to a corporate culture that has many types of managers and employees using their own concepts of right and wrong. Managers sometimes pressure employees into questionable activities. However, business ethics becomes more transparent once an organization establishes codes of ethics, as well as compliance requirements and ethical leadership. The objective of this chapter is to provide some essential strategies for integrating business ethics into business courses. The authors examine the role of stakeholders, implications of the global financial crisis, and important issues in teaching business ethics, as well as providing resources to integrate business ethics successfully into a course. THE IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS ETHICS Business courses provide an essential and dynamic foundation for students developing their business careers. Although it is important to teach many traditional concepts such as human resources and marketing, emphasizing emerging topics that are...

Words: 7020 - Pages: 29

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Personal Ethics Lisa Weartz Grand Canyon University NRS-437V December 29, 2013 Personal Ethics “Personal ethics is a category of philosophy that determines what an individual believes about morality and right and wrong” ("What are personal ethics," 2014, para. 1). Since these ethical ideals are specific to each individual, it is natural that not everyone will see an ethical dilemma the same way. Personal ethics are often a culmination of one’s spiritual or religious ideas, goals, and upbringing. According to the American Nurses Association, a code of ethics was developed to guide nurses in how their responsibilities should be carried out to show consistency of quality nursing care and the obligations of the profession. The Code of Ethics for Nurses states “The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems” ("Code of Ethics for Nurses," 2010, p. 1). My personal ethics are definitely a product of my religious beliefs and my upbringing. I was born, raised and still practice Catholicism. According to the Catholic doctrine, the church does not believe in in vitro fertilization since conception happens outside the body. However, even though it was against the church’s teaching, I believe that if someone wants a baby that bad that it is justified. I...

Words: 784 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Personal Ethics Leadership and Organizational Behavior – BUS 520 July 13, 2011 1. Discuss how personal differences and preferences can impact organizational ethics. Ethics is a tough subject, as it is man that determines what is or is not ethical. Culture, local customs, race, age, all of these human aspects can change what is ethical to whomever is looking at a given situation. This makes deciding what is or is not ethical difficult. There is no definite right or wrong answer regarding ethical issues due to the fact that it involves individual perceptions. In other words, behaviors that some people perceive as ethically correct might be perceived by others as ethically wrong. Every single person has her/his own values and perception, which impact making ethical decisions on daily basis. For instance, in the process of hiring new employees, if an interviewer decides to select a candidate solely upon personal preference disregarding any job qualifications and requirements, the decision is commonly considered as ethically unacceptable. In many cases, their own experiences and the environment in which they grew up effect their personal differences and shape their preferences. For instance, the Saudi Arabian culture govern women’s rights by Islamic law, ethics play little to no rule in it. Women are not allowed to enter specific buildings and areas, restricted on the level of education they can obtain, permitted to work in certain job fields, and so on. Those restrictions...

Words: 1140 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Personal Ethics Grand Canyon University NRS-437V Personal Ethics According to the American Nurses Association (ANA), the nursing code of ethics provides a framework for nurses to use as a guide to help them in ethical decision making (ANA, 2001, p. 3). There are many provisions to the nursing code of ethics, but the intent of the document remains consistent. Our own ethics, morals and values contribute to our personal philosophy of nursing and shape our nursing practice. There are often conflicts of a nurses own values, morals and ethics causing dilemmas within her, but referring back to the code of ethics can help guide her like a compass on the correct path for each patient. Morals are what dictate right and wrong to a person, including nurses. As a nurse, doing anything to harm a patient is immoral. Keeping that in mind when we talk to a patient or family, we do not want to cause any harm, be it physical, emotional or psychological. It is in this way that our moral compass guides our actions and words. As with morals, values also contribute to our decisions and philosophy of nursing. Moral values refer to thoughts and ideas which we hold dear, have meaning to us, or describe beliefs that guide us to make decisions in our person and professional lives. When we run into a dilemma with our morals, this is where ethics steps in. Ethics involves questioning our morals, and moral decisions in life and in our nursing practice. This questioning of moral decisions causes...

Words: 1079 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Running head: ORGANIZATION AND PERSONAL ETHICAL DELIMMAS How Personal Can Ethics Get? Jamaine Williams Dr. Robert Culver Leadership and Organizational Behavior- Bus 520 January 29, 2011 Strayer University Introduction This is a case that many faces everyday in the workforce. Valerie Young was in the United States on a work visa that allowed her to work in the states as a non-citizen. While working at her job she ran across an unethical situation that was a violation of the company policy her manager was involved in. the letter stated that her manager was taken kickbacks from the fragrance companies under the name of his private company. Mr. Waters have this I don’t care attitude that he can do what he wanted at the company, cater himself with vacation days and lax schedule with no regard for the team he was the leader of. But Valerie was placed in a position that stressed her out. With her being an immigrant if she reports this to the higher management and her boss was fired the team that was already downsized could be discontinued. She would be forced to go back to her country due to her citizenship status or do absolutely nothing and remain in the United States and let her boss continue to collect kickbacks? Ethical dilemmas that Valerie is facing? On the date of the incident Valerie had many different emotions going though her body. Because Valerie was unable to figure out if her team players were involved in her boss behavior she was forced to hold it in...

Words: 1319 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Personal Ethics Chelsey Stafford Gen/195 October 18, 2012 Karen Reinsch Personal Ethics Personal ethics is the key to everyday life because it has shaped me into the young lady that I am today. Personal ethics helps me to figure out how I cope with life. Personal ethics to me is your personal morals and values that personally set for you. Those morals and values are your guide to life. My ethical lens inventory results are none. I can see the gifts and the weaknesses of each lens. I can move fluidly among them to adapt the right tools to each situation to ensure the best outcome. I also listen to my intuition to determine the greatest good for everyone as well as the virtues that will best serve the community. My blind spot is none. I can see the strengths and weaknesses of each lens and to harmonize the four core values. I have five strengths. The first is I make ethical choices for myself and others. I can see myself and others clearly. My second strength is doing the right thing. I define an ethical person as one who does the right thing. I hold high standards for myself, but at the same time I do not judge who fall short. My third is tools for analyzing problems. I am in fact, comfortable using all available tools to analyze a problem. My fourth is balance, so I make decisions of self-knowledge, free will, justice, and compassion making sure I have used all lens equally...

Words: 481 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Personal Ethics Tami Anderson, RN 9/1/2013 Grand Canyon University NRS 437V Ethics are defined as the moral principles that govern a person's or group's behavior in life. Every person will have their own set of ethical principles to which they lead their life and make decisions. The basis of ethical decision making corresponds with one’s own morals and personal values. Morals are the set of a standards for behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable for them to do, the foundation of right and wrong. Personal values may vary greatly from one person to the next. There are hundreds of qualities in life and people that can be considered to be values for any given person. Our value systems, morals and ethics are all defined through how we are raised. Geographical location, such as city living vs rural living, religious or spiritual and cultural influences can all affect a person’s beliefs. Having been raised in the city in a Caucasian, catholic family, I would say that my foundational value systems are rather generalized. I was raised to respect my elders and everyone around me for their individuality. My family is a very non-judging unit that welcomes everyone into their home regardless of any types of differences. Race, religions or personal style were not taught to be the criteria for judgment, only goodness of a person’s heart and soul. The true value of humanity is in the loving and generously accepting nature of our family. I then married into a family...

Words: 1056 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Personal Ethics Reda Rodich Grand Canyon University Personal Ethics Ethics is a theory or system that includes the study of moral philosophy which includes the specific moral choices to be made by a person or the members of a profession, or moral principles and values that have standards of right and wrong actions and behaviors. The Code of Ethics for nurses, adopted by the American Nurses Association has set forth standards of practice that are essential in the ethical practice of nursing (ANA, 2001). To practice nursing ethically, nurses must be sensitive enough to recognize when they are facing seemingly obscure ethical issues in everyday work. Practice of virtues such as wisdom, honesty, and courage reflect a morally good person and promotes the values of human dignity, well-being, respect, health, and independence. Moral integrity is the foremost quality that an ethical nurse can have. A person with moral integrity is described as honest, truthful, trustworthy, courageous, and wise. One of the greatest challenges in the nursing profession is how to integrate personal values and beliefs with the patient’s values and beliefs that they are caring for. The nurse’s spiritual and moral beliefs come into play while interacting with the patient (Brydie, 2007). This can be a useful tool in promoting the well-being of the patient and to help them to better cope with their disease process. In other words, treat others as you would want to be treated. By completely acknowledging...

Words: 765 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Personal Ethics 1) Read "Chapter 3: To Heal Sometimes, To Comfort Always" (from Being Human: Readings From the President's Council on Bioethics), located at: http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/nrcbl/pcbe/bookshelf/reader/chapter3.html 2) Complete the questionnaire, "My Nursing Ethic," located within the Additional Resources folder in Canyon Connect. 3) Using the reading and the questionnaire, -write a 750-1,000-word paper that describes your professional moral compass. As you write your paper, include the following: a) What personal, cultural, and spiritual values contribute to your worldview and philosophy of nursing? How do these values shape or influence your nursing practice? b) Define values, morals, and ethics in the context of your obligation to nursing practice. Explain how your personal values, philosophy, and worldview may conflict with your obligation to practice, creating an ethical dilemma. c) Reflect and share your own personal thoughts in regard to the morals and ethical dilemmas you may face in the health care field. How do your personal views affect your behavior and your decision making? 4) Do not be concerned with the use of ethical terminology for this paper. 5) Prepare this assignment according to the APA guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. 6) This assignment uses a grading rubric that can be viewed at the assignment's drop box. Instructors will be using the rubric to grade...

Words: 259 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...on a project. There was satisfaction in actions, but not so much fulfillment. I thought that if I could give my time and energy to when a person when they really needed it, that I would find a greater reward. So far, I am happy with my choice and have made a greater impact for people than just replacing the worn ball joint on their vehicle. I was raised a Christian on the East Coast by parents from the Midwest. As an adult, I am not affiliated with any particular religion or sect. Much of our society's ethics are based on Judeo-Christian philosophy and the Ten Commandments. Our laws extrapolate on these principles, but they are at the heart of our Justice system. People need a belief system to guide them through life. Our text defines a value system as "a set of values you have reflected on and chosen that will help you lead a good life" (Putilo & Doherty, 2011). If you believe in nothing, you stand for nothing. The rule that influences my personal and nursing philosophy is the Golden Rule. Do unto other as you would like done unto you. Most everyone in our society has had something stolen from them, been on the receiving end of joke, or been wronged in some way. These experiences shape our understanding of values and morals, but they also serve as a reference for how we should treating other people. There are exceptions to this when applied to nursing. Not all interventions that I personally would be willing to receive apply to every patient. Religious...

Words: 1172 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...Personal Ethics Development Personal ethics are beliefs and values that guide every individual in his or her daily lives. It represents a boundary for actions by individuals. From early childhood an individual starts to develop his or her personal ethical system and establishes ground rules to follow for the rest of his or her life. As an individual develops and matures in life so does his or her personal ethics. Developmental Aspects Personal ethics starts to develop at a very early age. My mother and father raised four children and empowered each with useful developmental tools. They instilled the same ground rules and ethics for each of the children to follow. Even though they raised each child the same, each one has a different mindsets concerning personal ethics. So in some ways personal ethics are also an interpretation of the individual. Underlying Ethical System Growing up with a military family, we followed the military ethics mindset. My father was a career military man and believed in nothing less than the ethical ways of the military. Growing up we traveled and met different people from many walks of life. My mother and father built an ethical foundation or an underlying ethical system for our family that helped us throughout our childhood and into adulthood. It was the basic foundation of treating everyone the same and treating people the way a person would want someone to treat him or her...

Words: 1082 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...RMartin830@yahoo.com ACA Code of Ethics 1. Confidentiality Confidentiality is a demonstration of respect bestowed on the client by the counselor wherein information between the two will not be divulged by the counselor. 2. Exceptions to Confidentiality danger to the public supercedes the protective privilege of a therapeutic relationship. a. Duty to Warn b. Clear and Imminent Danger changed to “ 3. Record Keeping 4. The ACA Code of Ethics serves five main purposes: 5. 1. The Code enables the association to clarify to current and 6. future members, and to those served by members, the 7. nature of the ethical responsibilities held in common by 8. its members. 9. 2. The Code helps support the mission of the association. 10. 3. The Code establishes principles that define ethical behavior 11. and best practices of association members. 12. 4. The Code serves as an ethical guide designed to assist 13. members in constructing a professional course of action 14. that best serves those utilizing counseling services and 15. best promotes the values of the counseling profession. 16. 5. The Code serves as the basis for processing of ethical 17. complaints and inquiries initiated against members 18. of the association. 19. The ACA Code of Ethics contains eight main sections that 20. address the following areas: 21. Section A: The Counseling Relationship 22. Section B: Confidentiality...

Words: 5332 - Pages: 22

Premium Essay

Personal Ethics

...INDIVIDUAL: PERSONAL ETHICS Personal Ethics of Nursing Crystal Kingcade Grand Canyon University Ethical Decision Making in Health Care NRS 437V April 30, 2010 Personal Ethics of Nursing Ethics in nursing is a set of principles relating to what is morally right or wrong. It is used in the health care field as a standard of conduct or code for how healthcare workers should behave. As nurses it allows us to analyze information and make the best decisions based on what we believe is right and good conduct. Everyday nurses are faced with making ethical decisions when providing quality care to their patients. However, as nurses we must be able to identify our personal values and morals to be able to make the best decision in regards to the ethical dilemmas. Values, Morals and Ethics play a vital role in influencing the nurse-patient relationship because each one determines the behavior on how the nurse and patient respond to the relationship and issue. As nurses we use our beliefs such as values, morals and ethics to guide us on how we should act and to determine the choices we must make. Personal ethics is very vital in the art of nursing. As nurses it is important to know and be able to identify the values of nursing for the safety of the patient and nursing practice. The purpose of this paper is to identify how an individual’s worldview and philosophy of nursing affect their values, morals and ethics in the art...

Words: 1141 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Personal Ethics

...Running head: “MY NURSING ETHICS” “My Nursing Ethics” Denise Schooley Grand Canyon University: NRS 437V July 10, 2012 My Nursing Ethics Personal nursing ethics can vary greatly from each individual nurse. The most important factor is that patients are receiving safe, efficient and informed care. There is a privileged relationship between a nurse and their patients. It is crucial that patients feel as though they are part of their care pathway. They must feel safe and informed continuously throughout their need for nursing care. Nurses may not always agree with the decisions that their patients may be making but a nurse’s personal, cultural or spiritual opinion should never get in the way of the care they need to provide. Personal Philosophy Nurses have their own personal, cultural and spiritual values that can and in some situations contribute to their nursing care. A nurse may have a personal opinion on selective induction of labor and may not agree with the patient’s decision. With nurses that work in Women and Infant services they will experience these difficult situations on a regular basis. Spiritual values being either Christian, Catholic or other affiliation will play a role in the nurse’s ethics and moral beliefs. Tertwilliger, M, (2007) “Christians believe it is also the gift God gave women to save humanity”, pg. 1. Within many different religious affiliations and churches an elective terminations is not an acceptable procedure. Nurses may...

Words: 1080 - Pages: 5