Ethical dilemmas in nursing

This assignment encourages students to critically explore ethical dilemmas in nursing practice through real-world scenarios. Students will examine how personal values influence clinical decisions, apply ethical principles, demonstrate clinical reasoning, and reflect on their professional behaviors and responsibilities. Objectives Upon completion of this assignment, the students will be able to: o Examine how personal values influence nursing decisions. o Demonstrate ethical decision-making in clinical scenarios. o Apply clinical reasoning in ethical dilemmas. o Utilize professional nursing ethics and human rights principles. o Reflect on their actions and their outcomes. o Exhibit ethical behaviors in decision-making processes. o Modify behavior based on awareness and feedback. o Recognize and report unethical behaviors appropriately. o Protect patient privacy, confidentiality, and autonomy. o Advocate for patient rights and self-determination. o Comply with professional regulations and institutional policies. o Demonstrate moral courage in ethical decision-making Assignment aligns with AACN Competencies: 1.2d, 1.2e, 1.3a, 9.1a, 9.1b, 9.1c, 9.1d, 9.1e, 9.1f, 9.1g, 9.4c, 9.5d BSN Program Outcomes: Utilize professional communication to act as an advocate and deliver culturally sensitive person-centered care adhering to ethical and legal Demonstrate clinical reasoning and clinical judgment in the delivery of person-centered care to enhance health outcomes across the lifespan. Integrate evidence-based interventions into person-centered care Case Study Options (Choose One): 1. End-of-Life Autonomy vs. Family Wishes A terminally ill patient with a DNR order is lucid and expresses their wish to discontinue aggressive treatment. The family strongly opposes this decision and insists the patient is confused and that treatment must continue. 2. Social Media and Confidentiality Breach A nurse discovers a colleague posted a patients de-identified but contextually revealing information on a private social media account. The post receives comments from mutual colleagues. 3. Conscientious Objection and Patient Access to Care A nurse refuses to participate in a legal medical procedure (e.g., abortion, assisted death) due to personal beliefs, yet is the only staff member available at the time. The patient requests the service immediately. 4. Vaccine Refusal During a Pandemic You work in a pediatric unit during a serious influenza pandemic. A mother refuses to allow her 5-year-old immunocompromised child to receive the influenza vaccine, citing concerns about vaccine safety based on information she read online. The child’s physician has strongly recommended the vaccine given the child’s vulnerable status. Hospital policy encourages but does not mandate vaccination. As the nurse, you believe in the importance of vaccination, especially for vulnerable patients. 5. Resource Allocation During Shortage You work in an ICU during a critical shortage of ventilators and certain medications. Hospital administration has implemented a triage protocol for allocating these resources. You’re caring for an elderly patient with multiple comorbidities who, according to the protocol, has a lower priority for receiving a ventilator than a younger patient with better recovery prospects. The elderly patient’s family is demanding “everything be done” and is unaware of the resource constraints. Instructions Part 1: Case Analysis Using the selected case, address the following: o Clinical Context: Briefly describe the case and stakeholders involved. o Ethical Principles: Identify and explain the core ethical principles at play (e.g., autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice). o Values Assessment: Reflect on your personal values. How might they influence your decisions in this scenario? o Patient Advocacy and Rights: How will you protect patient autonomy and rights? o Professional Conduct: Discuss your ethical responsibilities including any reporting obligations, privacy protection, and adherence to policy. o Ethical Courage: How would you demonstrate moral courage in your decisions and actions? Part 2: Reflection Reflect on how this case challenged or reinforced your values. o Identify actions you would take differently in the future based on this analysis. o Discuss how this case informed your growth as a nurse and your professional identity. Guidelines Your paper should be a minimum of 600 words, and not more than 750words not including the title and reference page. Your paper should be in proper 7th Edition APA Format and include a title page and properly formatted in-text references and reference page). References: A minimum of 3 peer-reviewed references not greater than 5 years old (one should be the ANA’s Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements)