Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay
Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay
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Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma

Instructions – Overview
In this assignment, you are asked to reflect on a real experience from your own clinical practice, in which you encountered an ethical dilemma. The experience can be drawn from your current clinical placement or from any previous placement during your studies or you nursing education. It should relate to issues around your role as a nurse or nursing student. Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay.
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Note: To write this Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay assignment I attached this below assignment information+Information from my book to find ethical theory and ethical decision-making model + self reflection that I had at the clinical. These three documents will help you to write the assignment.
Assignment
Identification and analysis of an ethical dilemma
Instructions – Overview
In this assignment, you are asked to reflect on a real experience from your own clinical practice, in which you encountered an ethical dilemma ( Their is another attachment in this email of personal self reflection that I had when I was at the clinical and dealing with the ethical dilemma). The experience can be drawn from your current clinical placement or from any previous placement during your studies or you nursing education. It should relate to issues around your role as a nurse or nursing student.  (Please see another attachment for my personal self reflection that will help you to write this assignment)
 
In the first part of the assignment, you will tell the story of your experience. This narrative should clearly describe the specifics of the situation and all of the characters involved.  At the end of this narrative, explicitly identify for the reader the ethical dilemma that is apparent in the situation just described. Please remember to de-identify people and places within your paper to maintain confidentiality, especially related to clinical settings and patients.(In this section you can use I (first person) in your sentences) Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay
 
In the second part of this assignment, you will analyze the ethical dilemma that is apparent in the story you have chosen to share. Your analysis must draw on ethical theory and use an ethical decision-making model, in order to propose recommendations for action. I attached another important information from my book that will help you to find the ethical theory and ethical decision making model to write the assignment.  ( In this section, use it as a 3rd person in your sentences)
 
In the last part of this assignment, you will offer a personal reflection about your own values with respect to both the ethical dilemma encountered and the recommended course of action implied by the ethical analysis of that dilemma. In what ways might this case impact your moral experience as a nurse? (In this section you can use 1st person in your sentences). Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay
 
General guidelines
 
The assignment asks you to use an ethical decision-making model. This means picking any of the models that have been reviewed in class and/or made available on the course website ( I SCANNED THE CHAPTER FOR YOU THAT DESCRIBE THE ETHICAL DECISION MAKING MODEL……AND THAT WILL BE IN ANOTHER ATTACHMENT IN THE EMAIL). You may also perform an analysis by drawing together reflective questions from different models (e.g., “This ethical analysis will be structured according to several questions, drawn from [reference] and also from [reference]). What matters most is that you organize your analysis around key reflective questions that seek to clarify the landscape, i.e., what is going on; and to navigate ethical choices, i.e., what are our options and what is our decision?
 
The assignment also asks you to draw on ethical theory( YOU CAN FIND THE ETHICAL THEORY THAT I SEND YOU IN ANOTHER ATTACHMENT). The place to do this is when you are weighing your options for action. What are the bases of support for each option? Which option is morally preferable and why? (e.g., utilitarianism, deontology, virtue ethics, feminist theory),
 
Finally, the assignment asks you to offer a personal reflection about your values and your moral experience as a nurse. This means identifying and naming your personal beliefs, convictions, and principles concerning what is good, right, and just in the context of the situation described. In other words, as a nurse, what is at stake for you in situations like the described in your paper? Your moral experience refers to the ways in which the values you deem important are realized or thwarted in the context of your practice. You are encouraged to make use of the theoretical notions of moral identity, moral agency, and/or moral distress in describing your moral experience. Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay
 
Format & Length: APA revised 6th edition. 5 pages not including title page and references.
 
 
Marking criteria
 
An A+ paper will satisfy all of the following criteria:
 

Opening narrative is clear and compelling
The ethical dilemma is explicitly identified and supported by the opening narrative.
A relevant ethical decision-making model is selected and thoroughly described.
The application of the model to the case succeeds in capturing the essence of the conflict/dilemma, identifies all relevant stakeholders, labels the principles and values at stake, and articulates at least two possible options for action.
Rationales for the possible options are presented. This section of the analysis successfully links theoretical ideas to the practicalities of the case. A clear claim for a way forward that is both logical and defensible is offered.
A plan for evaluating and reviewing the decision is offered, as well as suggestions for initiatives that might reduce moral uncertainty and/or support moral agency of clinicians who face similar situations in future.
The final reflection on personal values offers clear and compelling insight into potential consequences of situations such as these for individual nurses’ moral experience.
The paper is well written, ideas are clear and flow well, theoretical ideas are adequately developed and linked appropriately to options considered and recommendations made, ideas in the paper are well supported by academic literature, there are no typographical, grammatical, or formatting errors, the paper contains at least nine academic references not including the course textbook. Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay

 
 
*Examples of credible sources/literature:
 

Peer reviewed journal articles
Other academic/professional journals
Best Practice Guidelines
Government publications, websites, documents (e.g. evaluation reports, annual reports)
Publications by nongovernmental organizations (e.g. International Council of Nurses, Canadian Nurses Association, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario, Ontario Nurses Association, other provincial associations)

 
*Canadian references preferred
*When writing a scholarly paper, you should use a variety of sources.
*Class notes or PowerPoint slides are not a credible source – cite the original source.
 
 Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma
Introduction
My Nursing Experience and Ethical Dilemma faced
Nurses face unimaginable instances of ethical dilemmas on almost daily basis regardless of where they practice. Irrespective of where nurses function in their varied roles, majority of them are faced with instances where they are faced with ethical decisions that may have huge impacts on them and their patients. It is important to note that there is no “right” solution to an ethical case or dilemma (Mannix, Wilkes and Daly, 2015). In short, an ethical dilemma is a problem without any sort of satisfactory resolution. Ethics involve doing “good” and causing no harm.
I recently encountered an ethical dilemma when undertaking my assigned clinical duties at the workplace. It was during my fourth day at the clinical when I was assigned to help a Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) in taking care of a sick patient. After introducing me to the patient, the nurse asked me to begin Postpartum and newborn assessment immediately. However, I could not begin such an exercise without reviewing the patient charting. I informed the patient on the need to asses her charting at the next room for a short while. On exiting the delivery room, I told the RPN outside that I needed to review the patient charting before starting any assessment. However, her response was not what I expected. The registered nurse told me that I did not need it and insisted that I go on with the process of assessing the patient before looking at the patient charting. Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay.
Following the directive from the nurse, I felt like I had no choice as such. I immediately proceeded with the RPN to the patient room to begin the assessment. I immediately embarked on the assessment procedure. However, when I was informing the patient that the required or normal range of respiratory rate should be between 10-20 breath/min, the RPN interrupted me right in front of the patient. The RPN argued that the normal range of respiratory rate is 12-20 breath/min. I went ahead and began assessing the patient extremities. Surprisingly, the nurse (RPN) interrupted me once again arguing that the clinic does not assess patient extremities.
The above experiences left me disappointed as all the communication between us was conducted in front of the patient. I’ve never forgotten this incident as it made me be portrayed as if I am not educated enough to conduct patient assessment. Actually, I was right since I had learned the required ranges of the vital signs in the lab. I thought that such may depend on the agency policy and upon checking the agency policy, it was the same to what I had mentioned to the patient.
Even though the Postpartum turned out to be a success, I was faced with the ethical dilemma of truth telling versus deception. This is a major issue that nurses have to deal with on daily basis. It was my conviction that the patient at hand had to know of her condition before beginning the assessment and the patient had the right to know of her condition before beginning the assessment Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay.
Ethical dilemma that is truth telling versus deception
            Truth telling and deception or withholding information is an ethical dilemma that clinicians undergo on daily basis. When physicians communicate with their patients, honesty is one of the most important ways of fostering trust and showing respect for the patient. Patients place a great deal of trust in their clinicians, and may immediately feel as if that trust is misplaced if they find out or perceive lack of honesty from the clinician. However, there are situations when the truth can be disclosed in a brutal manner, or may have a terrible impact on the patient (Begley, Begley and Blackwood, 2000).
According to Pergert and Lutzen (2012), contrary to what many clinicians have believed in the past, a good number of studies demonstrate that majority of patients actually prefer knowing the truth of their medical condition. However, how much should be revealed to patients are areas of concerns to clinicians. Truthful disclosure need not to be brutal though. At times, the truth could be harmful. It is argued that in such a case, withholding harmful information may be appropriate. Additionally, it may justifiable for clinician to withhold the truth if the clinician has compelling evidence that disclosure will cause real and predictable harm or the patient states an informed preference not to be told the truth.
Closely related to above scenario is a moral branch of philosophy that seeks to examine the beliefs and assumptions of certain human actions. When faced with conflicting duties, there are a number of ethical theories that one may rely on in order to make the right choices. One of them is Utilitarianism or consequentialism. This is a moral theory that believes that an action is judged as either being good or bad based on the consequence, outcome, or the end result that comes out of it (Hanssen and Alpers, 2010). According to utilitarian school of thinking, the right action is that which accrues greatest utility or benefit and no action is, in its original form, good or bad. However, the only factors that make an action good or bad are the end results (Lutzen, Dahlqvist, Eriksson and Norberg, 2006). Based on the earlier mentioned dilemma (Truth telling versus deception), it is the end result that matters. However, the right action is that which accrues greatest utility or benefit Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay. 
Ethical decision making model
Based on the fact that ethical dilemmas may not always be quickly resolved through the use of codes of ethics, it may be useful enough, especially for clinicians to have a framework whereby ethical decisions can be analyzed. The following ethical-decision making model or steps by Park (2012) may be useful for purposes of coming up with the right ethical decisions.
Step 1: Identify the problem at hand.
Step 2: Identify the potential issues involved.
Step 3: Review relevant ethical guidelines.
Step 4: Know relevant laws and regulations in place.
Step 5: Obtain Consultation from higher authority.
Step 6: Consider possible and probable courses of action to take.
Step 7: List the consequences of the probable courses of action.

Step 8: Decide on what appears to be the best course of action to follow.
Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay
 
My personal reflection based on my own values and ethical dilemma
Researchers have indicated that instances of moral distress are a big problem for health care providers in many places across the globe. Pharmacists, social workers, physicians, and nurses are constantly face instances of moral distress (Lutzen et al., 2006). Even though there are many sources of stress in health care, moral distress is mainly associated with the ethical dimensions of practices and other concerns related to difficulties in nursing or healthcare while upholding professional values, duties, and responsibilities. When faced with instances of moral distress, nurses may withdraw from ethically challenging situations, change their positions or go on raising objections or concerns based on a given situation (Preshaw, Brazil, McLaughlin and Frolic, 2016). In order to avoid this situation, nurses’ personal value and morals experience may come in handy. Personally, I have some guiding value and morals that I stood with when faced with the ethical problem presented to me.
In nursing, as in life generally, I have been presented with all sorts of issues and situations to which I have reacted. It is argued that the way one deals with problems that arise will be based on the values that one has and the moral standpoint he or she takes (Mannix, Wilkes, and Daly, 2015). Throughout my nursing career, I have developed my values and experiences as a nurse that I seek to promote for the longest time possible.
First, I have developed values of caring whereby I envision promoting health, healing, and aspects of hope in respect to the ethical dilemma (Truth telling versus deception) I faced. Secondly, the values of integrity have grown in me as I seek to respect the dignity and moral wholeness of the patient without any form of condition or limitation. Diversity is another value I seek to promote in respect to the aforementioned ethical dilemma. People are different and unique in ideas, values, and ethnicities. Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay.
With experience in nursing, I have developed morally to the extent of learning to tell the difference between right and wrong and learning what ought and ought not to be done in a given situation. As a nurse, I have learnt how to follow autonomy, nonmaleficence, justice, veracity, fidelity, beneficence, accountability, and responsibility as espoused under the moral principles of nursing.
Recommendations
            Ethical dilemmas are prevalent in nursing and health care provision. Based on the above dilemma, it is a right of the patient to know his medical condition. Even though instances of distress may be faced by nurses at all times, personal values and moral developed over time will be a guiding factor towards making the right decisions (Hanna, 2004). The right to inform the patient of his or her medical condition is important.
Conclusion
            In a recap, ethical dilemmas in nursing are many. The aforementioned is just one of them. Many exist. However, in making an ethical decision, the greatest good must inform the end outcome. In the above ethical decision, denying the truth to a patient may be either wrong or right based on the situation at hand. However, if the greatest good will be accrued, then it may be the right path to follow. Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay.
References
Begley, A., Begley, A., & Blackwood, B. (2000). Truth-telling versus hope: A dilemma in practice. International Journal Of Nursing Practice, 6(1), 26-31
Hanna DR. (2004). Moral distress: The state of the science. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice: An International Journal, 18(1), 73–93.
Hanssen, I., & Alpers, L. (2010). Utilitarian and common-sense morality discussions in intercultural nursing practice. Nursing Ethics, 17(2), 201-211.
Lützén K, Dahlqvist V, Eriksson S, Norberg A.  (2006). Developing a concept of moral sensitivity in health care practice. Nursing Ethics, 13(2), 187–196.
Mannix, J., Wilkes, L., & Daly, J. (2015). ‘ Good ethics and moral standing’: a qualitative study of aesthetic leadership in clinical nursing practice. Journal Of Clinical Nursing, 24(11/12), 1603-1610.
Park, E. (2012). An integrated ethical decision-making model for nurses. Nursing Ethics, 19(1), 139-159. Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay.
Pergert, P., & Lützén, K. (2012). Balancing truth-telling in the preservation of hope: A relational ethics approach. Nursing Ethics, 19(1), 21-29.
Preshaw, D. L., Brazil, K., McLaughlin, D., & Frolic, A. (2016). Ethical issues experienced by healthcare workers in nursing homes. Nursing Ethics, 23(5), 490-506. Identification and Analysis of an Ethical Dilemma nursing essay.