Ethical Issues in Nursing Paper

NURS 412 – Ethics, Law, Economics, and Policy

Purpose of Assignment

The purpose of this assignment is to analyze an ethical issue experienced in nursing

practice, derive a solution, and support the solution with literature.

Student Approach to Assignment

I approached this assignment by incorporating a personal ethical dilemma I experienced

in practice. I work in the intensive care unit (ICU) at a local acute care hospital. Due to the acute
nature of the ICU, I am often faced with ethical issues. This assignment reflects my personal
values because it is an example of how I was faced with a problem and used my resources to
produce a solution that was both ethically and legally sound. This assignment helped me learn
the importance of having a clear understanding of the scope of practice of nurses and how to use
nursing literature to support ethical decision making. I approached the assignment the way that I
did because I value being a patient advocate and understanding how to appropriately utilize
resources when faced with a problem in practice.

Reason for Inclusion of this Assignment in the Portfolio

I included this assignment in my portfolio because it is a personal example of when I was

faced with an ethical dilemma in practice and how I used literature to come to an ethically sound
solution. In my practice example, I had to consult with other interdisciplinary teams, reference
the nursing scope of practice, reflect on nursing literature to face an ethical problem. This
assignment represents my ability as a nurse to be a patient advocate and utilize the appropriate
resources to solve a problem.

• Professionalism

o Differentiates between general, institutional, and specialty-specific standards of

practice to guide nursing care

I was faced with an ethical dilemma in clinical practice. To approach the problem in an
appropriate manner, I had to reference hospital policy, The American Nurses Association’s
(ANA) Scope and Standards of Practice, and The ANA’s Code of Ehtics for Nurses. I utilized
specialty specific standards of practice to take care of a mechanically ventilated patient. Due to
the dynamic scope of the problem, I had to work with the hospital ethical and legal team to
advocate for my patient and reach an ethically sound solution.

o Applies an ethical decision-making framework and legal guidelines to critical

situations that incorporate moral concepts, professional ethics, and advocacy for patient
well-being and preferences
 I used the MORAL Model for Ethical Decision Making to come to an ethically sound
solution for a dilemma faced in practice. The framework addressed different aspects of the
problem and helped me advocate for the well-being and best outcome for my patient. The patient
had a will and we used the will to guide patient care to honor his wishes.

o Understands the effect of legal and regulatory processes on nursing and healthcare
delivery, as well as limits to one’s own scope of practice

While taking care of my patients, I was faced with an ethical dilemma. Due to the
complexity of the issue, I referenced ANA guidelines to ensure I handed the problem in a
manner that was appropriate for my scope of practice. I recognized the problem was out of my
scope of practice and involved my manager and interdisciplinary healthcare team according to
my hospitals regulatory processes. The hospital’s legal and ethical team were involved to ensure
that the problem was addressed in a legal and ethically sound manner.

• Leadership

o Assumes a leadership role within one’s scope of practice as a designer, manager, and
coordinator of health care to meet the special needs of vulnerable populations in a
variety of practice settings


I was the primary nurse responsible for taking care of a patient that was not able to speak
for himself due to the critical nature of his medical condition. I had to coordinate care and use
clinical judgement to advocate for my patient.