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wrongness of actions´. The goal is similar to that of the legal system except that in most
(Fitzpatrick 2002)
Unit 1 tackles all the basic concepts in Nursing. But what caught my attention is
the concept on Nursing Ethics discussed in the Third Chapter of this unit as Critical
In today¶s health care arena, we nurses are faced with increasingly complex issues
and situations resulting from advanced technology, greater acuity of patients in hospital
and community settings, an aging population and complex disease processes, as well as
Ethical issues arise daily. There are issues such as death, dying, birth, abortion,
genetics, quality of life, and general human rights. The legal system and ethical system
overlap in most situations. Every patient contact can produce a legal or ethical situation.
Ethical dilemmas a nurse may encounter in the medical surgical arena are
numerous and diverse. For me, an awareness of underlying philosophical concepts will
help the nurse to reason through these dilemmeas as well as understanding of our roles as
professional nurses in ethical decision making will assist nurses in articulating their
ethical positions and in developing the skills needed to make ethical decisions.
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Ethics is an area that changes with time. As our earth continues to evolve new
ethical issues arise constantly. Now not only is there the ethical areas we have always
dealt with there is now also environmental ethics which is reaching the health care field.
nature becomes complex in the light of meeting the standards set forth by the
implementing bodies in nursing profession. I believe that these standards are indeed the
result of careful assessment and observation made to resolve the never ending issues and
Many of these include the duty to interpret and carry out orders, duty to monitor
confidentiality of medical records, negligence and others. But among the issues and
concerns aforementioned, one of the most controversial issues which caught my attention
is ³Malpractice´.
In abroad, there have been numerous reported incidents wherein Filipino nurses
who happened to be medical doctors here in the Philippines were charged of malpractice
and was deported back here in our country for attempting to save a dying patient in the
absence of the medical doctor in-charge. Legally speaking, what they did was a ³breach
of duty´ and basically, they should have been subjected to corresponding sanction.
However, in my opinion, as far as nurses¶ sworn duty is concerned, it¶s also their
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I understand that, doing the job beyond their legal limitations was hard for them.
But because Filipino nurses are typically compassionate, they have set aside the thought
of facing consequences of their actions and didn¶t think twice when they saw the
imminent danger to the patient¶s life, considering their knowledge and experience in
It is quite paradoxical in nature, to which side they are to choose in the midst of
ethical dilemmas like that. In the code of nurses developed by the American Nurses
Association, there is no way they condone ethically passive behavior. But being passive
will mean two things at the same time. First, being passive and adherent to the scope of
their jobs will mean being firm in their chosen profession and avoid legal responsibilities
on their part. Secondly, it will mean depriving them of their own wisdom and freewill to
do the right thing and do nothing as if they can¶t do anything in the midst of life-
threatening situation. As for me, we are all trained and equipped with ethical principles
and laws just to guide usin making the right decision for the good of all. But no one can
really tell us what exactly to do or which way to go. It is always, our wisdom, wise
thinking and judicious assessment of the situation that would lead us to make the correct
decision.
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