Ethics Paper

The purpose of this task is to explore how nursing ethics, self-advocacy, and professional accountability can be applied in clinical practice. Using the provided case scenario, you will be required to think about how ethical concepts can be used to make clinical decisions and explore the differences in personal and professional beliefs. You will develop personalized stress management plans that rely on the use of adaptive coping strategies to ensure personal health and well-being.

SCENARIO You have been working as a nurse in the adult oncology unit for the past year. You have developed a close relationship with many of your patients, but Mr. Newcomb has a special place in your heart. He has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and has undergone aggressive chemotherapy. Each day his wife has come to the unit to be with her husband. They have been married for over 40 years and share a deep love.  Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb have made the decision to no longer continue with treatment and have decided that hospice care is needed. Over the past few days, you have watched Mr. Newcomb’s health decline, and you can tell from your experience that he does not have much time left to live. Mr. Newcomb has been very open about discussing his death, and you have had the opportunity to learn about his life and the legacy he will leave behind.  While you are completing your rounds, you stop in Mr. Newcomb’s room to see how he is doing. You ask, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Mr. Newcomb has rarely asked for anything, but today he has one request. Mr. Newcomb states, “Before I die, I would like to see my mistress one more time. Mrs. Newcomb is always here. Do you think you could tell her that I will be busy for a few hours tomorrow so I can make arrangements to see my mistress one more time?”

Reflect on the following questions before you begin working on this task:

•   What would you do in this scenario?

•   How can your knowledge of ethical principles be utilized to determine your response to Mr. Newcomb?

•   How would this affect you as a nurse and direct provider of care for Mr. Newcomb?

REQUIREMENTS Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from sources, even if cited correctly. An originality report is provided when you submit your task that can be used as a guide.     You must use the rubric to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one rubric aspect. The rubric aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.

A.  Summarize how the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice apply to the scenario by doing the following:

1.  Describe how you would respond to Mr. Newcomb’s request.

2.  Evaluate how you applied the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice to the scenario.

3.  Examine how personal beliefs and values influenced your response to the scenario.

4.  Describe three strategies to promote self-care.

B.  Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.

C.  Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.

Attached is the submission of a previous student that was approved, please use this as a guide to the standard being sought.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLE APPLICATION

Task 2: Ethical Principle Application

Haylee Jonson Haines

Western Governors University

C304: Professional Roles and Value

April 2, 2020

A1: Response to Mr. Newcomb’s Request

When Mr. Newcomb asked me to lie to his wife, Mrs. Newcomb, so he could see his mistress one last time before dying I was initially taken back. Knowing that Mr. Newcomb is cheating on Mrs. Newcomb makes me very uncomfortable, but I have to separate my personal views from my professional obligation. My response to Mr. Newcomb’s request would be that I will not lie to his Mrs. Newcomb, but I will not tell her either. I would suggest to him to give Mrs. Newcomb a task that he needs done, such as picking up groceries or treat her to getting her nails done, so that she does not come to the hospital during his visit with his mistress.

A2: Principles of Beneficence, Non-maleficence, Autonomy, and Justice

I have applied beneficence by treating Mr. Newcomb with mercy and showing him that his request can be respected. Non-maleficence has been applied by not telling Mrs. Newcomb about Mr. Newcomb’s mistress. Mr. Newcomb has autonomy by making the decision to see his mistress without the interference from me. I do not feel it be right for me to use my personal beliefs or close relationship with Mr. Newcomb to advise him, I am using justice by treating him the way that I would any other patient.

A3: Influence of Personal Beliefs and Values

I am very comfortable with my personal beliefs and feel that I have strong values for myself. I think that under no circumstance is cheating on your partner something that is acceptable. I also think that as a nurse I am there to heal and care for my patients, not push my personal values on them. I would love to tell Mr. Newcomb how what he is doing is wrong, but I would not cross the line with my close relationship with him over my obligation to treat him with respect, dignity, and allow him to have his own personal beliefs and values. If this was something that was against hospital policy or a threat to himself or others, I would have reacted to the situation differently. Just because I do not agree with what Mr. Newcomb is doing, it is not breaking any hospital rules or illegal.

A4: Three Strategies to Promote Self-care

I truly believe that in order to take care of anyone else you need to first take care of yourself. My first strategy to promote self-care is exercising. I try run 3 miles every day that I am off. I find that this is a great stress reliever, as well as good physical activity. My second strategy to promote self-care is to take a long hot shower every night before bed. This is something that I look forward to after a long day. It is very calming for me to listen to the sound of the water and breath in the steam, it allows me to clear my head before going to bed. My last strategy that I like to do to promote self-care is treat myself to a deluxe pedicure every two weeks. This is my time to get pampered, drink a glass of wine, and relax.

You have been working as a nurse in the adult oncology unit for the past year. You have developed a close relationship with many of your patients, but Mr. Newcomb has a special place in your heart. He has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and has undergone aggressive chemotherapy. Each day his wife has come to the unit to be with her husband. They have been married for over 40 years and share a deep love. Mr. and Mrs. Newcomb have made the decision to no longer continue with treatment and have decided that hospice care is needed. Over the past few days, you have watched Mr. Newcomb’s health decline, and you can tell from your experience that he does not have much time left to live. Mr. Newcomb has been very open about discussing his death, and you have had the opportunity to learn about his life and the legacy he will leave behind. While you are completing your rounds, you stop in Mr. Newcomb’s room to see how he is doing. You ask, “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Mr. Newcomb has rarely asked for anything, but today he has one request. Mr. Newcomb states, “Before I die, I would like to see my mistress one more time. Mrs. Newcomb is always here. Do you think you could tell her that I will be busy for a few hours tomorrow so I can make arrangements to see my mistress one more time?” Reflect on the following questions before you begin working on this task:

•   What would you do in this scenario?

•   How can your knowledge of ethical principles be utilized to determine your response to Mr. Newcomb?

•   How would this affect you as a nurse and direct provider of care for Mr. Newcomb?

A.  Summarize how the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice apply to the scenario by doing the following:

1.  Describe how you would respond to Mr. Newcomb’s request.

2.  Evaluate how you applied the principles of beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, and justice to the scenario.

3.  Examine how personal beliefs and values influenced your response to the scenario.

4.  Describe three strategies to promote self-care.

B.  Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.

C.  Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.