Values and Ethics

Yapese grandmother, Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia
photo copyright carol b. allen

Study/Discussion Questions
1. Define and discuss the relationship between ethics and values.
2. Participate in the values clarification exercise in class. Consider your responses.. What did you learn? What conclusions do you draw from this exercise?
3. Define each of the essential nursing values. Rank the essential nursing values in order of importance for you. How might your ranking provide guidance for you in your nursing career?
4. Describe the use of the values clarification process in decision making.
5. Define the terms deontology and teleology.  Which of these moral theories are you most likely to use in resolving an ethical question?  How might your preferred approach conflict with that of others.
6. Describe an ethical dilemma you have encountered. What made it a dilemma? What helped you decide what to do? What ethical principles were in conflict? Which of the moral theories did you use to make the decision? How did resolving this dilemma help you to grow as a moral/ethical person?
7. Use an ethical decision-making model to attempt to resolve an ethical dilemma you have encountered. Evaluate the model in terms of ease of use, effectiveness, and helpfulness.
8. What are some important ethical issues that confront you daily in your clinical setting? Discuss these issues.

An interesting web site you might want to visit:
http://www.chce.org
Provides links to a variety of biomedical and healthcare ethics resources on the world wide web.

If you would like an expert opinion on a specific situation that you have encountered, send a brief synopsis of the situation and your question to:
http://www.bc.edu/nursing/ethics
Use this service carefully as the experts are volunteers.

Calendar

Syllabus