Philosophy 315: Biomedical Ethics
During this class, I was able to reflect on different ethical dilemmas that can occur within the health care setting. Ethics is a huge area of the nursing profession because everyone has different beliefs about what is right and wrong. I think I have learned this even more so during my experiences in the nursing field during my clinicals. One of the huge ethical dilemmas that are debated within the health care field is the right to die idea. This is about physician assisted suicide when a patient has a terminal disease. Should people have the right to make the decision about whether or not to live when their disease progresses to a certain point and whether or not they are allowed to determine this themselves. I think this is decision of the patient who is living with the illness because they have a right to decide what they want to do with their lives. It may not be my personal opinion that they should decide to die, but ultimately it is their decision.
Ethics is completely a biased position and it is within the eye of the beholder on what is the ethically right decision. I think that ethics is always a hot topic and draws a lot of debate because nothing is black and white with these issues. I learned from this class that ultimately it doesn’t matter in the long run what I think because it is decided by the patient or the family on what the plan of care is. I can refuse to do something, but the family will make what they want to happen to happen. If I see an issue that needs addressed then I can confront the family, but I have to do it in an appropriate manner that doesn’t let my personal feelings cloud my judgement. At hospitals, they have ethics committees that look at issues that place health care providers in poor situations and calls a meeting with the family and patient to discuss the plan.
This class has provided a lot of insight into areas that are not the easiest to make decisions in, but are necessary in providing safe, competent care for patients.
During this class we completed online discussion board posts that allowed us to interact with classmates to discuss the ethical issues. I do not have an example of work completed during this class.