NURS 521 - Ethical Dilemmas, Values, and Choices in Nursing Practice

This discussion post addresses ethical dilemmas in nursing, defining them and explaining why they can vary among nurses due to differing personal values and experiences. The author recounts a personal ethical dilemma encountered in their nursing career, highlighting the conflict between career advancement and patient safety. The assignment then applies the Five R's framework to explore the author's personal and societal values, decision-making processes, and the limits of personal choices within a healthcare setting. The author emphasizes the importance of honesty, loyalty, and trustworthiness in patient care, along with respecting patient choices and maintaining ethical principles. The discussion also touches on the influence of healthcare organizations and their role in setting boundaries for nurses' choices, especially regarding patient care and safety.

Running head: NURSING
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Answer 1.
Nursing is a noble practice. Nurses have the role of taking care of patient and
contribute in the patient’s recovery. Nurses have an ethical duty of taking care all their
patients and keep them safe. However, sometimes, due to heavy patients load in the hospital
nurses tend to find herself in an ethical dilemma situation where one cannot provide the
required time to a particular patient and cannot handle the patients load. This can be an
ethical dilemma for one nurse but cannot be the same for another. The latter must have the
ability to handle all patients correctly, giving them equal treatment. Therefore, an ethical
dilemma can be defined as a decision-making issue that occurs due to two possible moral
values in which neither of them can be chosen unambiguously.Nurses sometimes also have to
challenge the physicians prescribed medications in case of the latter’s wrong diagnosis.it is
the duty of the nurses to provide safe treatment and right medications to their patients in order
to quicken their recovery. In some cases it is seen that the physician itself prescribes a wrong
medication and then some nurses find themselves in the state of an ethical dilemma whether
to challenge the physician or not, whereas other nurses have the guts to challenge the
physician and protect their patient(Kolić, 2017).
In my nursing career, I faced a situation where I found myself in an ethical dilemma
situation. I was serving patients in my hospital for the last one year and I was associated in
the childcare unit. I loved taking care of children and used to have a great rapport with them.
All of my patients there became my friends and I was very comfortable working there.
Suddenly, the hospital authorities shifted me to the old age palliative care department. It was
a promotion from a junior nurse to a senior one.However, learned about this treatment
method during my student life, but never applied in a live situation. I was frightened about
the safety of those patients as I was not at all the right person to communicate them regarding

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palliative or end-life care treatment. I faced an ethical dilemma where I had to either choose
the bigger opportunity that came to my way or choose the safety of the patients in the critical
care unit. However, I succeeded in choosing the latter because from the first day of my
nursing career I was taught that patients’ safety comes first under any circumstances.
Answer 2.
1. My personal value is to be honest, loyal and trustworthy towards patient. My personal
value helps to give effective care to the patient by considering their choice of
treatment. This can be achieved by making them understand about the efficiency of
treatment.
2. I value them because it help me to maintain nursing ethics principle in my daily
practice.
3. Social value helps to reflect how we respond to any situation. My social value is
respect, justice, equality and being responsible. Thus, it helps to me be more
productive in my community.
4. I make choice by initially analyzing the situation or case scenario. After observing the
urgency of the situation, I set the priority for which I have to give urgent respond.
Then, I make the effective choice. I read, reflect, recognize, resolve and then respond
as per my choice.
5. Yes my choice is based on my values. I set my choice as per the principle of Five R of
nursing ethic. It helps to give effective care to the patient by maintain the principle
and moral value of loyalty and honesty.
6. Value is related to good habits and are contagious with action of people. For society
the empathy, mutual respect, love, loyalty and honesty are some of the value which is
important and useful.

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7. The limits of choices is the high number of choice itself. In another sense it can be
said that the patients wish and consent are some of the factor which limits the choice
of nurse.
8. Something, limits of choice is good as it does not allow to act in any harmful
situation.
9. Yes I limit other people choice when I see them heading in wrong direction regarding
care plan for the patients.
10. Health care organization does limit the people’s choice. For example, when there is
the situation of demanding for effective care and nurse are overloaded with their work
and does not wish to work to the care of people. Healthcare organization sets certain
rules by which nurse have to play their role and responsibility. Thus, it limits the
choice of people.

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References
Kolić, A. (2017). Ethical problems in a daily life of nurses Ethical problems in a daily life of
nurses (Doctoral dissertation, Medicinski fakultet, Sveučilište u Zagrebu).