Ethical Decision Making
While working with clients, nurses will have many instances when they need to call on nursing ethics to deal with difficult situations. Moral or ethical principles are fundamental values about the way patients should be cared for and treated. These principles include autonomy, justice, fidelity, veracity, beneficence, and nonmaleficence (Zerwekh & Garneau, 2018, p. 420). Nurses who do not follow the Code of Ethics for Nurses could find themselves in legal trouble. They also may face a higher risk of being involved in a situation that could lead to disciplinary charges or malpractice litigation. It is essential for nurses to understand and practice moral and ethical principles in their practice for the safe performance and the best patient outcomes.
Ethical Dilemma of Value, Beliefs, and Perspectives
During my first semester of nursing school, I experienced ethical dilemma. It was our first day in a clinical setting at the Avalon Health Care facility, a comprehensive, Medicare-certified, care facility that includes senior living, rehabilitation therapy, and hospice services. One of my classmates and I were assigned for the preceptorship to the experienced nurse on the rehabilitation floor, where patients receive personalized treatment plans to help them through their illness process. One of the clients had an order to administer Vancomycin intravenously every six hours over thirty minutes as a treatment for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus