...College January 24, 2011 Facilitator, George DeAngelis Professional Ethical Standards Introduction Each year more than 240 million callers attempt to receive emergency services (Dispatch Magazine On-Line, 2008). Who handles all of these phone calls? Communications centers that field 911 phone calls are staffed with trained 911 operators, also called communication officers in some areas. These men and women answer calls daily from victims of crime, individuals seeking emergency medical or fire services, concerned community members, and on rare occasions, the criminals themselves. Answering the calls and prioritizing them for law enforcement officers, emergency medical technicians (EMT), and fire departments requires knowledge, patience, discretion, and ethics. The Job According to Eastside Regional Communications Center (2008), 911 dispatchers answer phones for both emergency and non-emergency calls for not only law enforcement but medical and fire services as well. These individuals work with computer-aided dispatching services as well as computerized phone and radio systems. Dispatch Magazine On-Line also states that these individuals must prioritize these calls when numerous phone calls come into the center at the same time. Dispatchers must complete clerical work, retrieve information from callers using various computer and phone systems, monitor radio frequencies, and relay relevant information between officers and callers. This is only...
Words: 1540 - Pages: 7
...Ethics Case Study HCS 335 March 2, 2015 Victor Gibb Ethics Case Study Ethics is a branch of philosophy in which human actions are judged to be either right or wrong based upon a person's particular set of values, when these judgments are applied to a specific profession than they are referred to as professional ethics (Garret & Baillee, 2009). Personal and professional ethics often overlap and sometimes the two conflict. There are also scopes that apply to professional practice, and one must adhere to their scope and not practice outside of that scope. This paper will explore the ethical and legal concerns related to a case of whether or not a licensed practical nurse (LPN)/ certified medical assistant (CMA) should call in a refill for a prescription for a patient/friend of the doctor he works for. Jerry’s medical training does not qualify him to issue an order for a refill on the prescription for Valium because prescribing medications is not listed in the scope of practice for LPN’s/CMA’s in any state. LPN’s may administer medications but prescribing of medication is limited to medical doctors, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and psychiatrists (American Nurses Association, 2015). Jerry could take a verbal order to renew the prescription from the doctor if the doctor were available to give that order as an LPN (Fremgen, 2009). CMA’s are also not able to prescribe medications and are not able to take verbal orders to for medications; therefore Jerry cannot...
Words: 1210 - Pages: 5
...happy, then they will do the same for our customers. In order to maintain the highest level in the business we must follow some guidelines and procedures set by Premium Barber Shop. Please take some time to review our ethics program as this will be information you will use on a shift here at Premium Barber Shop. Our standards and procedures code of ethics: The principles of the Premium Barber Shop code of ethics are expressed in a general manner as a guide to ethical decision making. First appearance: at Premium Barber Shop we always come to work in our proper uniform (Premium Barber Shop shirt and jeans) and be ready to work. Your jeans can not have any rips, and shirt should come to the end of your wrist in length. We will arrive to work professional and clean. Second respect: We will always maintain the maximum level of respect to customers and co-worker. Third trustworthiness: We must always be honest, reliable, and maintain a “make the best decision” mind set. Fourth responsibility: We will always keep in mind that this is a company and we will always do what is best for the company and its customers. This includes all of the following: attending all scheduled shifts which include on-call shifts, and being on time for shifts while working at Premium Barber Shop. Fifth fairness: We will always treat all co-workers and...
Words: 778 - Pages: 4
...Ethics Case Study Jessica Bamsey HCS 335 March 19, 2012 Robert Vella Ethics Case Study The case study described below is one of different opinions. The views explained are those of mine. Someone else may have a different view, which is perfectly normal. This is a case of legal issues and ethical issues. Knowing how to handle oneself in this scenario is critical so that they will not make mistakes when they are put into this situation. The situation involves a medical assistant who is the only person in the office when a patient calls and wants a refill called into the pharmacy. The prescription was for Valium so that he could get on an airplane. The assistant should not call in the order. Jerry’s medical training does not qualify him to refill this order. There are several reasons he is not qualified. One reason is because he is not a doctor. Doctors are the only ones that can prescribe and order refills on prescriptions. Another reason is because is the guy a patient of Dr. Williams or just a personal friend whom he gives medications to. When a person is a medical assistant or an LPN they are there to assist the doctor with taking vitals, discovering why the patient has come to the office, answer phones when necessary, and give shots. They cannot write prescriptions or call them in. It does not matter if it is for a blood pressure medication needed on a daily basis or not. The same rules apply. There are reasons only a doctor can prescribe medication. The reasons...
Words: 763 - Pages: 4
...Ethics Case Study March 26, 2012 HCS 335 Ethics Case Study: Jerry McCall Introduction Ethics are an important aspect of an individual’s personal and professional life, as ethics help people determine whether their actions are right or wrong, good or bad, just or unjust, and fair or unfair (Fremgen, 2009). Strong workplace and interpersonal ethics are essential to any career, but especially so in health care wherein professionals encounter people from all lifestyles, life and death situations, and further circumstances people in other professions do not face. One such situation is the case study involving Dr. William’s office assistant, Jerry McCall. While sitting in for the receptionist, Jerry receives a phone call from a long-time patient needing a last-minute refill called in for his antidepressant, Valium, before taking a flight. The patient tells Jerry Dr. Williams is a close friend. Jerry has some professional medical assistant and LPN training, but has no certification in either field, and no one else is available to fill the patient’s prescription. This study will examine if Jerry is qualified to call in the refill, bearing on the situation if the patient had critical need for the medication, and the ethical and legal stipulations and consequences concerned depending on Jerry’s possible choices. Qualifications A health care professional must have specific qualifications and certifications to order medication refills for patients (Fremgen, 2009). While...
Words: 1197 - Pages: 5
...training as both a medical assistant and a LPN. He is handling all the phone calls while the receptionist is at lunch. A patient calls and says he must have a prescription refill for Valium, an antidepressant medication, called in right away to his pharmacy, since he is leaving for the airport in thirty minutes. He says that Dr. Williams is a personal friend and always gives him a small supply of Valium when he has to fly. No one except Jerry is in the office at this time” (Fremgen, Chapter 4, 2009). A prescription can be prepared by a nurse, secretary, or any other agent in the office for the physician’s signature but cannot be called in or dispensed by no one other than the physician. There are certain rules and regulations that control issues like the one Jerry is faced with. The United States along with each state individual have set for rules and regulations for situations as this. By not following the guidelines it could cause many risks and it also goes against the code of ethics. There are code of ethics set forth not only for doctors but also nurses, physician assistants, and even medical assistants. If I were Jerry I would tell the patient that legally I cannot call in any prescriptions or medications without the authority of Dr. Williams. Calling in the prescription would put me at great risk for many legally issues because I do not have the permission of the physician to call in the valium for you nor am I qualified to do so. There are also some safety...
Words: 983 - Pages: 4
...Ethics Case Study Heather Holcomb University of Phoenix Ethics: Health Care and Social Responsibility HCS 335 Deborah Laughon RN BSN MS DBA January 23, 2012 Ethics Case Study Case Study Jerry McCall is Dr. William’s office assistant. He has received professional training as both a medical assistant and a LPN. He is handling all the phone calls while the receptionist is at lunch. A patient calls and says he must have a prescription refill for Valium, an antidepressant mediation, called in right away to his pharmacy, since he is leaving for the airport in thirty minutes. He says that Dr. Williams is a personal friend and always gives him a small supply of Valium when he has to fly. No one except Jerry is in the office at this time. What should he do? (Fremgen, 2009). Overview Health care providers are faced with making difficult ethical decisions everyday. Moral and value systems influence the ethical decision process, but the law and licensure regulations do as well. This case study is an example of a potential ethical dilemma and a possible breach of the law. The following questions will be explored: 1. Does Jerry’s medical training qualify him to issue this refill order? 2. Would it make a difference if the medication is for controlling high blood pressure that the patient critically needs on a daily basis? 3. If Jerry calls in the refill and the patient has an adverse reaction while flying, is Jerry protected from a lawsuit under the doctrine of respondent...
Words: 1135 - Pages: 5
...will produce the best consequences would be broadcasting the prank call as the greatest amount of pleasure will be produced through this decision. The extent of the happiness will be the listeners of the radio station being entertained at the time the prank is broadcasted, which is a huge number of people (Low, 2013). Owners of the radio station will also be happy when the amount of listeners that tune into the radio channel at this particular time increased to listen to the prank calls made by the radio DJs. This extent of happiness will far exceed the extent of unhappiness caused by this prank call, which are only the nurses being pranked and/or the characters being imitated in the prank call. We can also take another feature for the calculation of the amount of happiness being generated, for example, the duration of happiness (Low, 2013). The duration of the unhappiness is longer than happiness because people who are unhappy tend to take a longer time to recover from that unhappiness. The happiness that the listeners have only will last during the few minutes of the broadcast or maybe a few minutes after as well. The total amount of happiness will still outweigh the total amount of unhappiness because the extent of happiness far exceeds and dominates the net amount of happiness. Therefore, it will be ethical to broadcast the prank call based on utilitarianism. * Kantian Ethics Based on Kantian Ethics, the duty of the radio station is to gain listeners by letting listeners...
Words: 1378 - Pages: 6
...2014 George Taylor Ethics in Management When thinking of ethics, one tends to think of rules for right or wrong. Ethics is the norm for conduct that distinguishes between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. People learn ethical norms from church, school, home, and social gatherings. People learn the difference between right and wrong in early childhood, but learn morality throughout their entire life. Ethics is more than common sense. If it were only common sense, then one wouldn’t have ethical dilemmas like the one with Enron. During childhood, one is taught the differences between right/wrong and good/bad while at home. Children are taught in school and at home to do the right thing, because it’s the right thing to do and to avoid doing wrong things, because they are wrong. This form of ethics is called Deontological Ethics (duty-based). Under Duty-based ethics, actions are justified by showing a good outcome. It teaches that right or wrong depends on the actions of the individual and people have an obligation to act accordingly regardless of the outcome. For example, telling lies and killing people is wrong. Under duty-based ethics, one must do the right thing, even if it causes harm than doing the wrong thing. Duty-based ethics puts emphasis on the value of human being and focus on giving the same amount of respect to each one. It forces due regard to be given to the interest of a person even when at odds are against them. Under Kantian duty-based ethics, some acts are always...
Words: 1564 - Pages: 7
...Ethics Case Study Tina Marie Gaddie HCS 335 Edna Wilkerson June 20,2011 Ethics Case Study It is important to understand that in this case, valium is not an anti-depressant because it can actually cause or worsen the patient’s depression. Another issue to understand is that Jerry does not have any authority to provide medical prescriptions. According to medical law and ethics, the doctors or other authorizing people such as PA or LNP must approve all medication refills. What Jerry could do is to call Dr. Williams and inform him on what his client wants because doctors carry their cell phones because they are aware they might be needed in the office at any time. In case, Jerry will get approval from Dr. Williams, then he will go ahead and issue this refill order. In case, he will issue without consultation of Dr. Williams, then he will be in big trouble because it is against medical laws. Does Jerry’s medical training qualify him to issue this refill order? Why or why not? Actually, Jerry’s medical training does not qualify him to issue this refill order because he is not qualified to issue out the valium prescription. Being both assistant medical and LNP, means that he is not qualified to issue refill order. This is because it is not his work but the work of medical doctors who qualify to issue this refill. Even though Jerry may call Dr. Williams, it may be hard to be given prescription because there is what we call informed consent in medical ethics (Hall and Bobinski...
Words: 1083 - Pages: 5
...Ethics Essay Wk 1 ETH 316 04/16/2012 Ethics Essay Week 1 Ethics Essay * A description of the differences in how each theory addresses ethics and morality Virtue ethics are character traits like honesty or generosity. The way I read it was they are strong morals and build your value system or system of beliefs. Utilitarianism holds the theory of what it every takes for the greater good. One of the worst examples I found was the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan during WWII it was done for the greater good of America and the world. Craziness! Deontological ethics is basic black and white. It is based on the basic qualities of an act and not the moral effect. Lying is a great example, I hate (I know strong word), but I hate lying. I feel as an adult you have no reason to lie or breaking promises (don’t make them). In Pocatello for some reason when you call a contractor for work and you leave a message they do not call you back and if they do answer they are late for the appointment. I might be old school, but what I say I do, it is my reputation. * A personal experience to explain the relationship between virtue, values, and moral concepts as they relate to one of the three theories I have been married for twelve years and have two step kids a boy 24 and a girl 26. I have known the kids since they were two and five years old and I love them both, but Josh I do not like as a person. He has shunned all his personal values, ethics and morals. Josh is 24 and...
Words: 455 - Pages: 2
...Ethics Case Study Kimberly Peralta HCS/335 April 19, 2011 Terry Matherne Jerry McCall is Dr. Williams’ office assistant. He has received professional training as both a medical assistant and a LPN. He is handling all the phone calls while the receptionist is at lunch. A patient calls and says he must have a prescription refill for Valium, an antidepressant medication, called in right away to his pharmacy, since he is leaving for the airport in thirty minutes. He says that Dr. Williams is a personal friend and always gives him a small supply of Valium when he has to fly. No one except Jerry is in the office at this time. What should he do? Ethics Case Study – Jerry McCall As an office assistant Jerry has certain duties and obligations to fulfill within his field of study, knowledge, and expertise. In this case as an office assistant Jerry has the authority and obligation to answer all phone calls and respond to them promptly, ethically, and efficiently. In this case the office assistant not only has administrative training but a limited amount of clinical training, the amount of clinical training that he does have does not qualify him to issue this refill. As an office assistant Jerry has the authority to call in only prescriptions or refills approved by the doctor. In this case as he is the only one in the office he should explain the situation to the patient and let him know that he will try his best to get in touch with Dr. Williams in order to have this...
Words: 876 - Pages: 4
...Ethics Essay Melody Lewis ETH/316 June 10, 2012 Bob Hughes Ethics Essay The three ethics that will be compared are virtue theory, deontological, and utilitarianism. These three ethics will compare the differences and similarities. Also while talking about how the theories address morality and ethics. Ethics is defined as a study of standards of conduct and moral judgments. Ethics is also known as the system of morals of a particular group, religion, and so on. (Webster Dictionary) Utilitarianism is believed that the reason of all activity should convey the upmost happiness of the highest figure. Utilitarianism recommends an action is morally right when actions produce greater utility for a group than any alternative. (Boylan, 2009) Virtue ethics is defined as a specific moral quality regarded as good, excellence in general, chastity, and a good quality. (Webster Dictionary) Virtue ethics is sometimes referred to as character or agent-based. This can be taken as to live life to develop or grow to perfection in everything a person does and in that others do. (Boylan, 2009) An example of this would be a friend calls and wants to come over. I do not feel like company so I lie and say I am not feeling well. This would decide what type of moral behavior and what type of character I have. Virtue ethics would decide by each situation. Deontological ethics decides the morals of a motion established from the motions hold to the guidelines. The deontological...
Words: 420 - Pages: 2
...Ethics Case Study Ethics is the evaluation and study of the human behavior in regard to moral principles, especially those in a particular group, profession, or individual (The Free Dictionary, 2012). Individuals face many ethical dilemmas daily and how he or she responds could lead to major and legal ethical implications. In the health care industry, possessing methods for making ethical decisions is an essential part of the job. This paper will present a scenario that takes place in a medical office and if the decision of the medical assistant will affect the decision-making process, which could lead to legal and ethical ramifications. Scenario The scenario presents Jerry McCall, a professionally trained medical assistant and Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) working in Dr. William’s office as an office assistant. Alone in the office and in charge of the phones during the lunch hour of the receptionist, Jerry receives a call from a patient. The patient explains to Jerry that he is leaving in 30 minutes to the airport for an extended vacation and needs a prescription called into his local pharmacy for Valium, an antidepressant drug. The patient also explains to Jerry that he is a long time friend of Dr. Williams and that the doctor always refills Valium prescriptions for him before he flies. Jerry’s training does not qualify him to call in a prescription for Valium. Ethical Dilemma Jerry has an ethical dilemma of if he should or should not call in a prescription...
Words: 1037 - Pages: 5
...Misty Bagwell Week 2 HCS 335 Ethics Case Study-Medical Law & Ethics Jerry McCall is Dr. William’s office assistant. He has received professional training as both a medical assistant and a LPN. He is handling all the phone calls while the receptionist is at lunch. A patient calls and says he must have a prescription refill for Valium, an antidepressant medication, called in right away to his pharmacy, since he is leaving for the airport in thirty minutes. He says that Dr. Williams is a professional friend and always gives him a small supply of Valium when he has to fly. No one except Jerry is in the office at this time. What should he do? First before we get into the matter we need to describe what a medical assistant’s job is and what tasks that they perform. A medical assistant’s roll is to complete the administrative and clinical tasks in the office for physicians, podiatrists, chiropractors, and other health practitioners to help make their jobs just a little bit easier. The jobs for a medical assistant will vary due to the location of a practice, the specialty of the practice, and size of the practice. A medical assistant’s job is to help a doctor with the administrative part in the office and the clinical duties so that a doctor will be able to see and receive patients a whole lot faster. A medical assistant must have graduated from an accredited program and they also have to pass a national certification exam. Does Jerry’s medical training qualify him to...
Words: 1109 - Pages: 5
