Group # 3 Tanner Benson, Courtney Bonds, Reid M.

Buerer, Chad Burkowski

Assignment #3: Ethics Assignment (Chapter 10)
PART I. DEFINITIONS / DISTINICTIONS / EXAMPLES - TO BE COMPLETED PRIOR TO CLASS.
Instructions: Using chapter 10 of your textbook, define each term below. Provide a
personal example for each definition. Download this form, type in your answers - no
more than 2 pages for Part I.
Term
a. Ethics

b. Values

Definition
The practice of goodness and
rightness over wrongness and
badness within a system of
resource allocation and
preferences.
Enduring beliefs based on
some early form of
indoctrination and experience.

c. Morals

The applied practices derived

from an ethical framework that
is based on values and beliefs.

d. Principles

Those immutable
characteristics of value-based
decision making that are
broken down into mutually
exclusive categories of
outcomes or answers.
The act of pleading for,
supporting, or recommending.
An effort that must contribute
positively to the exercise of selfdetermination.
The set of theories or ideologies
that attempts to instill a set of
values, ideals of fairness based
on those values, and beliefs in
the allocation of resources
throughout a society.
The ethical view that states
one should do the most good.

e. Advocacy

f.

Distributive Justice

g. Utilitarianism

h. Egalitarianism

The ethical view that states

things should be equal for all.

Example
Choosing to treat
someone for their illness
rather than leaving them
alone.
Being taught from a
young age that all
humans are inherently
good and honest.
Refraining from hurting
others because you
believe violence is
wrong.
Yes/no or Strongly
agree/ agree/ disagree/
strongly disagree

Lobbying to a
governmental agency
for more legislation that
protects cancer
patients.
Everyone who works the
same job in a single
organization is paid the
same for their work.

Providing the best care

possible for the greatest
proportion of the
population.
Treating all patients the
same regardless of

Group # 3 Tanner Benson, Courtney Bonds, Reid M. Buerer, Chad Burkowski

i.

Libertarianism

j.

Deontology

k. Pluralism

l.

Autonomy

The ethical view that promotes

free will, and that all are
responsible for themselves.
The ethical view that
consequences dont matter as
long as the motives are good.
The ethical view that holds that
good which are normally
distributed in any society are
too different to be distributed
according to only one
criterion.
The patients right to selfgovernance.

m. Beneficence

The requirement of the health

organization to do good.

n. Nonmaleficence

The requirement for the health

organization to do no harm.

o. Justice

The obligation to give each

patient fair resource allocation.

p. Regulatory
Compliance

The obligation of a moral

organization, and its leaders to
foster and maintain systems for
health operations that comply
with statutory regulations from
federal, state, and local
governments.

insurance, age, race,

gender, or social class.
Giving out vaccines on a
first come first served
basis.
Giving a patient
treatment that could
save their life, but is very
high risk.
Different cultures exist in
the United States, but do
not become one, they
continue to stay
different.
Being able to refuse
medical treatment if you
dont believe its right.
An employee behaving
in a good way even
when no one is around
to witness his/her
behavior.
Being a competent
employee or manager
to avoid negligence.
Treating all employees
the same regardless of
their economic status.
An employee violates
the companys
compliance program.

Group # 3 Tanner Benson, Courtney Bonds, Reid M. Buerer, Chad Burkowski

PART II. APPLICATION OF DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE TO BE COMPLETED IN CLASS.
Instructions: Choose one of the distributive justice theories on pages 250-252 which
most represents your point of view of health resources allocation. Explain how you will
use your chosen theory when dealing with the following scenario. This should not be
more than one full page of narrative.
Scenario: You are a manager at the local Rural Health Clinic, which is also a Federally
Qualified Health Center (FQHC). According to Illinois law, a billable patient encounter is
when a patient has a face-to-face encounter with a physician, physician assistant,
midwife or nurse practitioner, or a dentist, licensed psychologist, license social worker, or
licensed clinical professional counselor.
You came to work on Monday morning to find of your two nurse practitioners, one
resigned that morning and the other, who is her back-up, is too sick to come to work.
Your physician normally is in the clinic on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You have 12 patients
scheduled that day, including several child immunizations and flu shots. Your licensed
practical nurse (LPN) is plenty capable of administering the immunizations and flu shots
but you know these are not billable to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family
Services. Determine your course of action and use a specific distributive justice theory
of utilitarianism, egalitarianism, libertarianism, deontology, or pluralism to justify your
actions.

We would take a deontology approach, and choose to vaccinate the children even if we could not
be reimbursed and reschedule the patients who are not coming for immunizations because no one
is there to treat them. The motives were good, so even though we risk the loss of money, our
patients still received the best care we could provide.