Ethical Issues Nurses Are Faced With Today - 1842 Words

1. What do we mean when we say the word ethics? What are some sensitive ethical issues nurses are faced with today? According to Butts and Rich (2013), ethics is defined as â€Å"the study of ideal human behavior and existence, focused on understanding the concepts of and distinguishing between right and wrong† (p. 448). It is an active process that must be supported by theoretically based arguments (Rogers Bolyard, 2014). Some ethical issues that nurses might be faced with in a clinical practice setting can include matters pertaining to life and death such as those related to abortion, hospice and end of life care/decisions, the possibility of being faced with the prospect of assisted suicide and the implications of genomics and†¦show more content†¦The term amoral describes actions associated with morality that are done without concern for good behavior, like an individual that commits an act of violence with no trace of remorse. This behavior would be consi dered to be amoral (Rogers Bolyard, 2014). 3. What are values? Can a person’s values change over time? Is there a belief or value that you had when you were younger that you no longer have today? Values refer to what an individual believes is good, worthy, or desirable (Butts Rich, 2013, p. 8). Values influence people’s behavior and thoughts. Values can absolutely change over time, with age and with varied life experience. Something that I used to value when I was little younger than I am now was independence and achievement. In my teen and very early adult years, I was very much focused on establishing myself in the world and achieving my career goals and aspirations. As I get closer to my 30s, my focus has shifted from myself and more towards others in my social network, including family and friends. 4. What is moral reasoning? How does it pertain to the profession of nursing? Give an example of your own personal experience with moral reasoning in the clinical area. Moral reasoning is reasoning that is related to ethical and moral issues (Butts Rich, 2013, p. 8). It involves thinking for one’s self and judging whether one’s conclusions have a logical and sound basis. In nursing, moral reasoning falls under the term