Taking a Stand

Taking a Stand

            Ethics has been described as a system comprising moral principles that control an individual’s behavior, as well as the discipline tackling what is right and wrong; however, with moral obligations and duty. Ethics may also be defined as the principal system tasked with the alteration of earlier thoughts, decisions and actions of individuals.  Ethics is a vital aspect that safeguards the society and controls individual actions in relation to what is right and wrong, with regards to the society and self.  To make apt ethical decisions, one must have appropriate knowledge of both ethical frameworks and principles, as well as perform leadership style excluding the trial and error while emphasizing the decision making models.  The objective of this paper is to introduce the ethical, moral, and legal standards ethical construct’s conceptual framework, through the consideration of the dilemma within the work milieu. The paper also seeks to evaluate the implications used and also take into account the leadership style acknowledged by the self-assessment tool to establish if the leadership style is either a facilitator or a barrier in the course of resolving the dilemma.

Conceptual Framework

Being a nurse, it is always inevitable that one will come across several dilemmas in the course of his/her career. Often, one tends to face several dilemmas that he/she may admit. Nevertheless, this often results in the nurse being forced to arrive at difficult decisions that are palpable on the everyday interactions with others.  Amongst the critical ethical matters found in the present day mental health care facilities include addiction’s moral dimensions, compulsory treatment, and autonomy of the patient and the mental illness definition, as well as confidentiality and privacy. Doody and Noonan (2016) maintain that ethical frameworks help by offering a guide to individuals with regards to the resolution of the ethical dilemmas. Thus, they provide the necessary assistance required by managers in the clarification of the personal values alongside beliefs to resolve various ethical challenges. Chadwick and Gallagher (2016) maintain that the commonly used frameworks include right-based reasoning, duty-based reasoning, intuitionism, and utilitarianism.

The intuitionism framework enables the leader to have an individual perception of every issue. It also allows the carrying of comparisons between the weights of the rights, goals, and duties of every ethical dilemma (Doody & Noonan, 2016). Nevertheless, the leader’s intuition remains the determinant of the weighing. Thus, it is believed that through the use of the framework, individuals are able to discover the reality by utilizing their intuitions aptly.

Consequently, duty-based reasoning refers to the framework founded on the conviction that given decisions has to be arrived at given the existence of the actual duty that must be carried out to shun the performance of something (Doody & Noonan, 2016). A good example entails the hiring of a qualified candidate regardless of the cost involved in the recruitment process. Still, rights-based reasoning is mainly founded on the conviction that given things tend to be the just due of an individual; for instance, two candidates are accorded the right to impartial and just considerations with regards to their applications, regardless of their qualifications.

Utilitarianism, on the other hand, entails the framework supporting decision-making that is founded on what tends to offer the greatest good for the majority (Chadwick & Gallagher, 2016). When conducted aptly, it often creates happiness for the majority of the individuals. Moreover, it is also the action’s value that is established by its importance, along with a strong emphasis on either the consequences or results.

Dilemma

As a worker in the emergency department with a psychiatric facility, I tend to face several dilemmas on a daily basis. Nevertheless, the rewarding times of my career are often as a result of such dilemmas. One of the instances of dilemma I faced in recent times involved a male patient who was found outside and was naked during one of the cold winter nights by the police. However, the dilemma arose as a result of the treatment of the patient by the police who had not tased him twice when he charged against them. According to the family members of the patients, they had not only placed several alarms to alert them whenever the patient woke up at night but also taught him to seek police assistance whenever he was lost. However, this was not the case as the police had filed mental hygiene with regards to the patient for the psychiatric services and also ascertained that the patient was to be admitted in the facility regardless of the lack of information on him. The medical provider for the patient also told us of his history, and as a result, we made a report to the police department concerning the conduct of the officer, and to ensure that the mental hygiene order was dropped so that he could be taken home. Therefore, the dilemma I faced in handling the case revolved around whether I should adhere to the law and go on with the mental hygiene on the patient (pediatric) with learning disabilities and who had escaped from his home. It was clear that the patient did not intend to harm anyone or himself and that he ran towards the police as he had been taught to do in case of distress. Nevertheless, the officer perceived the patient’s approach as a threat and was forced to tase the boy.

Leadership Style

Based on the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II (KTS-II), I can describe my personality type as an idealist. KTS-II maintains that individuals with idealist temperament tend to be concerned with the individual development and growth, and often make efforts towards discovering who they are and the manner in which they can make them self better persons. Idealists are often drawn towards working with others and always help others to find their life purposes. Moreover, idealist prefers close cooperations as this tends to be the apt means of achieving goals even though confrontations and conflicts often disconcert them. Lastly, idealists are individuals who like to hold themselves to stringent personal integrity standards and are also filled with both goodwill and love, in addition to believing in sacrificing to assist others. Regardless of their rarity, idealists inspire others with enthusiasm and idealism that proffer them with influence beyond their rarity.

Being an idealist, I believe that my personality offered me tremendous insight with regards to assisting the patient. Through the belief that we could treat the patient and eventually return him to his family, I was able to attain my objectives. This also inspired the police officer who had brought the patient to reconsider his future actions effectively.

References

Chadwick, R., & Gallagher, A. (2016). Ethics and nursing practice. Macmillan International         Higher Education.

Doody, O., & Noonan, M. (2016). Nursing research ethics, guidance, and application in    practice. British Journal of Nursing, 25(14), 803-807.

Grace, P. J. (Ed.). (2017). Nursing ethics and professional responsibility in advanced practice.       Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Kangasniemi, M., Pakkanen, P., & Korhonen, A. (2015). Professional ethics in nursing: an            integrative review. Journal of advanced nursing, 71(8), 1744-1757.