NURS 6003 do2 Middle Tennessee State University Nursing Ethics
NURS 6003 do2 Middle Tennessee State University Nursing Ethics
Introduction
A nurse executive in a hospital is responsible for overseeing the operations of the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU). She notices that one of the doctors working in the ICU has been prescribing unnecessary medications to patients, leading to an increase in their length of stay and hospital bills. When she confronts the doctor about her concerns, the doctor becomes defensive and refuses to change her prescribing practices.
Approach to Conflict:
In this scenario, the nurse executive is facing a difficult ethical dilemma. On the one hand, she has a duty to ensure that patients receive appropriate and necessary care. On the other hand, she must also maintain professional relationships with the doctors in the ICU and avoid causing conflict or damaging those relationships.
To address this conflict, the nurse executive could start by gathering evidence to support her concerns. She could review patient records, speak with other staff members in the ICU, and consult with other healthcare professionals to get a better understanding of the situation. Once she has sufficient evidence to support her concerns, she could schedule a meeting with the doctor in question to discuss her findings.
During the meeting, the nurse executive could present her concerns in a non-confrontational manner and provide the doctor with evidence to support her claims. She could also offer solutions to the problem, such as providing additional training on appropriate prescribing practices or bringing in a consultant to review the ICU’s policies and procedures.
If the doctor continues to refuse to change her prescribing practices, the nurse executive may need to escalate the matter to the hospital’s administration or the relevant regulatory body. However, it is important to note that this approach may come with ethical and professional concerns, as it could damage the relationship between the nurse executive and the doctor and potentially harm the doctor’s reputation.
Peer Scenario 1:
A family nurse practitioner (FNP) works in a clinic primarily serving low-income patients. One of the clinic’s primary care physicians has been accepting gifts from pharmaceutical representatives and prescribing their medications, even when they are not the most appropriate treatment option. The FNP is concerned that this behavior is unethical and could harm patients, but she is unsure how to address the situation without damaging her professional relationships with the physician.
Approach to Conflict:
In this scenario, the FNP is faced with a challenging ethical dilemma. She has a duty to ensure that patients receive appropriate care, but she must also maintain professional relationships with the clinic’s physicians and avoid causing conflict.
To address this conflict, the FNP could start by reviewing the clinic’s policies and procedures related to gifts from pharmaceutical representatives and appropriate prescribing practices. She could also consult with the clinic’s director or another trusted healthcare professional to get their perspective on the situation.
Once she understands the issue better, the FNP could schedule a meeting with the physician to discuss her concerns. During the meeting, she could present her concerns in a non-confrontational manner and provide the physician with evidence to support her claims. She could also offer solutions to the problem, such as providing additional training on appropriate prescribing practices or implementing policies to limit gifts from pharmaceutical representatives.
If the physician continues to refuse to change her behavior, the FNP may need to escalate the matter to the clinic’s director or the relevant regulatory body. However, it is important to approach this situation with sensitivity and to avoid damaging the relationship between the FNP and the physician.
Peer Scenario 2:
A nurse educator is teaching a course on nursing ethics to a group of nursing students. During one of the classes, a student makes a comment that is racist and offensive. The nurse educator is concerned about the student’s behavior and wants to address it, but she is unsure how to do so without causing conflict or damaging the student’s academic progress.
Approach to Conflict:
In this scenario, the nurse educator is faced with a challenging… Click Here to see the full document
NURS 6003 do2 Middle Tennessee State University Nursing Ethics
1) Healthcare professionals working in clinical practice, education, research, and administration are often witness to unethical behaviors. For your initial discussion post, develop a hypothetical conflict scenario involving a nurse working in an advanced role (nurse executive, nurse educator, or family nurse practitioner). The created scenario must place the nurse in a situation involving conflict specific to unethical behaviors.
2) To complete this discussion, review the hypothetical scenarios posted by your peers. Choose two peer case scenarios and discuss how the nurse involved in the scenario might approach the conflict described. Use evidence from your readings or from a credible source to support your answer. Be sure to discuss potential ethical concerns, possible barriers to resolution, and any professional or organizational constraints that may be involved.