...and Legal Issues in Nursing NUR/391 Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing As nurses, it is our duty to advocate for our patients. At times, we are faced with personal and professional challenges that impact how and when we chose to advocate. It is imperative we have a healthy awareness of these potential challenges. Improvements in health care technology have provided patients with an array of treatment options as well as assumed or possible increased chance of survival. As a result, nurses are met with a rise in ethical decision making. This paper will discuss the legal, ethical, social, and personal factors that can impact our decision making process, with the focus on two specific case studies. American Nurses Association Code of Nursing Ethics Role in Practice The American Nursing Association (ANA) has created a set of ethical standards for the profession of nursing to abide by, which is entitled the ANA Nursing Code of Ethics. The ANA Code of Ethics states that collaboration is central to the care nurses deliver and to their ethical commitment to the patient (Garity, 2005). In the end-of-life case study, the nurse (she) has an unwritten obligation to the patient; the family appears to be in conflict with how to proceed with the patient's medical treatment. The medical team has an obligation to give the family all of their options and possible outcomes. If the family remains in conflict, it would then be appropriate for her to refer the family to the Patient’s...
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...Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing NUR/391 July 28, 2013 Mary Nicks, MSN, RN Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing In this paper ethical and legal issues will be reviewed concerning the decisions and responsibilities of the nurse in the case of Marianne who has had a stroke and the decisions that the family is facing for treatment or end of life care. The legal and ethical issues in a malpractice case that occurred several years ago and the responsibility of the nurse to her employer, the nurse being sued, the client in question, and the institution’s client will be reviewed. The areas that will be reviewed include how the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics would influence a final decision in each case study, how personal and societal values can influence the ethical decision making, the fundamental legal aspects of each case study, and the legal responsibility of the nurse in the work setting. The ANA code of Ethics must be followed in practice and is an especially useful tool when there are difficult legal and ethical issues that arise in nursing practice. In the example of the malpractice case for negligence, as a witness to questionable practice, it is the nurse’s primary responsibility to protect the safety of the patient. Although the nurse was correct in reporting the episode to administration, she also had a duty to counsel the nurse about the inappropriate standard of care. The ANA is clear that when a nurse is aware of questionable practice...
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...CHAPTER 3 ♦ ETHICAL BEHAVIOR AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY ♦ Ethical Behavior- is that which is accepted as “good” and “right” as opposed to “bad” or “wrong” in the context of the governing moral code. Laws and Values as Determinate of Ethical Behavior * Personal Values- the underlying beliefs and attitudes that help determine individual behavior. * Terminal Values- are preference about desired ends, such as the goal’s one strives to achieve in life. Ex. Self-respect, family security, freedom and happiness. * Instrumental Values- preferences regarding the means for accomplishing these ends. Ex. Honesty, ambition, imagination, and self-discipline. Alternative Views of Ethics Four views of Ethical Behavior: ♦ Utilitarian View- considers ethical behavior to be that which delivers the greatest good to the greatest number of people. ♦ Individualism View- is based on the belief that one’s primary commitment is to the long-term advancement of self-interests. ♦ Moral Rights View- it is which respects and protects the fundamental rights of people. ♦ Justice View- it is based on the belief that ethical decisions treat people impartially and fairly, according to legal rules and standards. • Procedural Justice • Distributive Justice • Commutative Justice • Interactional Justice Cultural Issues in Ethical Behavior Cultural Relativism- belief that is no one rights way to behave and that ethical behavior is always determined by the cultural context. Universalism- suggests ethical...
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...Ethical and Legal Issues Ethical and Legal Issues Faced with ethical and legal decisions on a daily basis, nurses must at times make some pretty tough decisions including how to proceed with care for an incapacitated patient with no advanced directive or how to proceed when called upon to testify against a current employer. The American Nurses Association Code of Nursing Ethics is one of the main tools available for the nurse to utilize when it comes to making these tough decisions. The nurse may apply personal values as well as societal values to these cases in order to come to a sound, ethical decision. The legal aspects of each of these cases can have a profound effect on the continuing career of the nurse, a thorough evaluation is necessary to protect all involved. Finally, the nurse also carries a legal responsibility to her profession, workplace, patients, and self. Ethical and legal decision-making are complex but after a thorough assessment, the nurse can continue to make an ethically and legally sound judgment on how to proceed. Influence of the ANA Code of Nursing Ethics The ANA Code of Nursing Ethics is the first reference when deciding how to proceed with an incapacitated patient who has no advanced directive or how a nurse should react when called upon to testify against an employer in a negligence or malpractice case. This code, designed to assist the nurse in maintaining his or her ethical integrity as well as protect the nurse...
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...The Responsibility Project Earlene Espy ETH 316 December 10, 2013 Donna Craft The Responsibility Project At the top of discussion in various arenas such as schools, work, church, and casual fellowship; is how ethical principles are being used to address organizational issues. Ethical principles can be applied in numerous ways that will establish a strong organizational structure that employees on all levels of hierarchy will appreciate and value. This paper will discuss the short film, “Greyston Bakery” and focus on why are the issues in the film important. As well as what role do external social pressures have in influencing organizational ethics? Wrapping up the paper, a look at how these issues are relevant to organizational and personal decisions along with the relationship between legal and ethical issues as shown in film (UOP, 2013). Film: Greyston Bakery The Greyston Bakery located in Yonkers New York is known for their gourmet sweets that populate restaurants to the White House but this organization started a social experiment over two decades ago (CBS News, 2010). Julius Walls Jr., President and CEO of Greyston Bakery, states “there is more substance to the organization besides the famous brownie recipe” (Liberty Mutual, 2010). The organization conducts business with the use of a balance between a double bottom-line model. The use of this model allows Greyston Bakery profits to support Greyston Foundation, an organization with ethical principles...
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...Small business social responsibility: Expanding core CSR theory Laura J. Spence Abstract This paper seeks to expand business and society research in a number of ways. Its primary purpose is to redraw two core CSR theories (stakeholder theory and Carroll’s CSR pyramid), enhancing their relevance for small business. This is done by the application of the ethic of care, informed by the value of feminist perspectives and the extant empirical research on small business social responsibility. It is proposed that the expanded versions of core theory have wider relevance, value and implications beyond the small firm context. The theorization of small business social responsibility enables engagement with the mainstream of CSR research as well as making a contribution to small business studies in scholarly, policy and practice terms. Key words: corporate social responsibility, ethic of care, feminist ethics, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), small business, Carroll’s pyramid, stakeholder theory. Correspondence: Laura J. Spence, PhD. Professor of Business Ethics. Director, Centre for Research into Sustainability, School of Management, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, UK. Laura.Spence@rhul.ac.uk Acknowledgements: With sincere thanks to the special issue editors and reviewers, Kate Grosser and Dirk Matten for their insightful comments in the development of this paper. Introduction Small business social responsibility - whether it be a software...
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...The Evolution of Business Ethics Ashford University Human Resources Management OMM 640 (MFF1320A) Ethics are integral parts of business development. In order for an organization to establish oneself it must be distinguishable by its code of ethically behaviors. Organizations are able to flourish or disintegrate based on the behaviors associated with the business. As in life a good name and a good reputation is invaluable for one to succeed, so as it is in business. In the society in which we live today businesses are now more globally sound and in-depth corporate social responsibility is at the forefront of ethically issues. Organizations must contend on a daily basis with decisions that are both ethically and legally sound. “Business ethics is a broad topic that refers to “individual behavior that is subject to or judged according to generally accepted moral norms of behavior” (Nelson, J. K., Poms, L., & Wolf, P. P. (2012). With the world becoming more global daily a code of ethics policies enables organizations to establish acceptable behavior amongst professional business associates, the employees and investors to the business and the day to day employees. With a code of ethics policy in place it provides a written set of guidelines to maintain compliance within the organization. An established ethics model allows organizations to maintain and increase productivity with a decrease in down time to ethically issues as well as it establishes the...
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...Organizational Ethics Paper Jaime Terreforte II ETH/316 July 27, 2015 Tyra Barnes Organizational Ethics Paper What is organizational Ethics? Well according to definition, organizational ethics is best described as the work standards and principles of all operating businesses. Organizational ethics comprises of acts of compassion, fairness, honor, integrity, and responsibility. It is important for employers to fully make sure that all employees understand the principles of organizational ethics through training. (Small Business.chron.com, 2015) This paper will discuss the organizational ethics in the retail industry. The retail corporation of Dollar Tree is the primary focus of this essay. Some points that will be addressed are external social pressures, organizational issues and the relevance of organizational and personal decision making, and finally the relationship between legal and ethical issues. External Social Pressures The fundamental role of external social pressures are based on social influence. Social influence basically means that an individual’s actions, reactions, and thoughts are influenced by communities or groups. This will include peer pressure, persuasion, marketing, sales, and conformity. (Business dictionary.com, 2015) External social pressure is a very important aspect when it comes to business ethics in particular small businesses in small communities. There are many social expectations in which businesses needs to pay attention to. These expectations...
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...The Responsibility Project The Responsibility Project ETH 316 The Responsibility Project A short film was chosen to view on the Responsibility Project website. The film chosen was named Greyston Bakery. The ethical principles in the film is used to address organizational issues. The two biggest issues located in the film is given. The importance of the issues located in the film is explained. The role of external social pressures occurred on Greyston Bakery show how social pressures effects the organizational ethics. Three reasons why the issues are relevant to the organization and personal decisions is given as well. The relationship between legal and ethical issues located in the film is produced along with explanation of how domains can conflict and possible solutions to end the conflict. The short film is about Greyston Bakery in which shows how the bakery supports the community. The bakery gives back to the community from profits of the bakery goods sold (Liberty Mutual, 2010). The biggest item sold is the brownie they have that is used in the social enterprise in direction to reach social and profit mission (Liberty Mutual, 2010). The biggest issues in the film is open hiring and community development. Open hiring allows the business to hire people within the community to provide a opportunity to allow people employment regardless of past history (Liberty Mutual, 2010). Community development is developed by using profits...
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...CHANGING ETHICS Personal ethics is an individual's belief about morality or conscience .It defines one’s stand on what is right or wrong.This branch of ethics gradually develops since childhood and tend to emulate the things which are set as an moral value to us by our parents or guardians in the family. It can heavily be influenced from any major incident in our life. Personal ethics refers to the ethics that a person identifies with in respect to people and situations that they deal with in everyday life. Professional ethics defines adherence to rules and regulation. The individual is expected to follow religiously, the code of ethics framed by the organization .It can be heavily influenced by the culture of the organization but it cannot change as frequently as the personal ethics. Professional ethics refers to the ethics that a person must adhere to in respect of their interactions and business dealings in their professional life. PERSONAL ETHICS VERSUS PROFESSIONAL ETHICS A person's ethical code determines their views on right and wrong, and influences how they interact with other people. 1.Influences • Personal ethics depend largely on a person's background and life relationships and concern. They are also influenced by the experiences you had growing up with dilemmas such as lying, cheating or even violence. Personal ethics may change as you learn and experience more, they often retain much of this early influence. Professional ethics...
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...University of Phoenix Material Organizational Issues Select and complete one of the following assignments: Option 1: The Responsibility Project Resource: The Responsibility Project website Perform an Internet search for the site called The Responsibility Project. Select the link for this site. View the short films on the Responsibility Project website. Select one of the short films that addresses organizational issues. Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper describing how ethical principles can be used to address organizational issues. Include the link to the film you select and discuss the following: • Why are the issues in the film important? • What role do external social pressures have in influencing organizational ethics? • How might these issues be relevant to organizational and personal decisions? • What is the relationship between legal and ethical issues as shown in the film? Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. The responsibility to act I chose was the Surviving Twin Challenge. This challenge gave great insight on how ethics plays a major role in the work place. The issues that came across what a individual being honest with the company along with the organization being open and not discriminating on the employee due to her situation that occurred. The situation came about when the individual became pregnant. The individual was already a great asset to the company she was offered a certain position which...
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...Ethical and Legal issues in Nursing The nursing profession is very complex. Every day nurses deal with patients and medical care. There are some days when ethics and legal issues play a role. We were given examples of the legal complexities of nursing through two case studies we were to evaluate. For this paper we will discuss the legal responsibilities of nursing, how personal and societal values can influence ethical decision-making and how the ANA’s Code of Nursing Ethics would influence the final decisions. Legal Responsibilities of Nurses Nursing boards are governmental state agencies responsible for regulating the nursing practice. A nursing license obtained through state nursing boards validates that nurses have met standards for providing high quality care. Nurses are legally held accountable for administering medications accurately, educating patients and public on health issues, advocating for the patient regarding health care, and serving as a liaison between the patient and the physician. Professional standards are determined by Standards of Practice Acts and the American Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics. As professionals, nurses must also be familiar with ethical responsibilities and protect the rights of their patients and families. As the definition of liability has continued to expand through the judicial system, courts of laws have placed higher standards on the profession of nursing. Many times professional...
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...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...
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...ETH/316 Michael Scott Due June 30, 2014 Question #1 Introduction Ethics are considered the science in which one bases their beliefs, while morals are the choices made based on those beliefs. To be considered a virtuous person one must understand and demonstrate the “acceptable” beliefs of their society, by maintaining their personal character traits and standards, and by making and demonstrating good choices in their personal and professional lives. A person who is ethical and moral may not be considered virtuous, because of the differences between the three concepts. Virtuous Virtuous is used to describe a person who strives for excellence, in both their ethical and moral behaviors. Virtue, demonstrated as one who has good character traits, is often associated with ethical and moral beliefs, which is necessary for people to function in society with distinction. Virtuous examples are demonstrated in one who shows honesty, forgiveness, kindness, and respectfulness; among other exemplary character traits. A person who is virtuous shows commitment to doing the right thing, no matter what the cost; personal or not. Someone who is virtuous does not bend to desires, urges, or impulses, but acts according to their principles and values. Ethics Ethics are the rules and principles that govern the actions of people in comparative societies, while morality may differ from person to person. Ethics are described in our reading as, “what constitutes right and wrong, or...
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...confront moral dilemmas daily in our personal and professional settings. In the process of making these ethical decisions, some truly life-altering, it is beneficial to have in place a well-grounded moral system or “ethical framework”, to help guide us in making our everyday decisions, both as professionals and in our private and social lives. The ethical stance that best fits my moral compass is teleological, specifically, utilitarianism, which holds “that an action is right if it promotes the maximum good” (Reamer 2006, p. 66). Teleological moral systems are characterized by a concentration on the consequences of any action. According to this position, in order to make the proper moral choices, a person must first attempt to establish what the results of their choices will be. If the consequence of their choices result in the right outcome, then the action is considered moral; if the consequences of their choices result in the wrong outcome, than the action is considered immoral. Social works ethical standards have evolved into a comprehensive guide detailing ethical practice and are found in the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (National Association of Social Workers (NASW) 2008). A profession’s openness to establishing standards that will assist practitioners in monitoring their conducts correctness is can be seen as a sign of true professional competence. These standards are created to highlight those ethical issues actually encountered on a day to day...
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