NUR 391 Professional Ethics
Module 2 Assignment Applying the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses
Submit the completed assignment by end of day Sunday of Module 2.
Overview
It is important that you see how the ANA and the ICN Code of Ethics code fits into your practice as a professional nurse. Now that you have read the ANA and ICN Code of Ethics for nurses, it is time to apply this code to some cases.
This assignment is worth 20 points.
Learning Objectives
· Examine the concept of truth telling and honesty in the nursing profession.
· Study how the ANA Code of Ethics works and how it is pertinent to ethical healthcare.
· Analyze the ICN Code and its importance to health care.
Directions
If you’ve not done so, read (or re-read) ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses and the ICN Code of Ethics using the links provided in the module.
As you can see the ANA code has a preface and is divided into nine provisions. Each provision has sub-headings. You can click around to see the definitions for each provision and sub-heading. The ICN Code of Ethics has a preface and is divided into sections. Then answer the questions below.
The rubric is included on the actual assignment page.
After reading the codes, answer the following questions.
| Why study these codes??? This may be one of the most important things you can learn about and understand as a nurse. Discuss why you think this document is important to the profession. |
| Compare and contrast the responsibilities you think a nurse has with those that the ANA Code discusses. What are the similarities and what are the differences? Discuss what you found to be new that a nurse does, as defined by the code. |
| Compare and contrast the ANA and ICN Codes. Which one do you like better and explain why? |
Next, read the two cases provided and decide which parts of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses apply to each of the cases.
Hint: There is more than one part of the code that applies in each case.
List BOTH the provision and section for your choices (For example: 1.3 is provision 1, section 3). Lastly, explain why your selection fits.
| CASE #1
Joy Bayliss, a nurse who works in intensive care, is seen on your floor late one evening (10 p.m.). You have known Joy for 10 years as you used to work with her in the Cardiac Catheterization lab. She tells you that her mother-in-law is a patient on your floor. She said that she is taking some time off from work to help care for her Mother-in-law, Mrs. Marjorie Bayliss who is 81 and a widow. Because you have known Joy for a long time, you think nothing of her being on the floor so late at night. You see her the following night as well, however this time she is in the medication room. Again, you speak to her and she states that she just needed a quiet place to think. She appears calm and again you think nothing of this. At the end of the shift as you are leaving you notice Joy sitting on a bench outside the employee entrance…..she appears “out of it” with glazed eyes. You note that her speech is slurred. You ask her if she is alright and she replies, “Yes, I’m just exhausted and have not slept well in days.” You suspect she is not really “alright” and wonder if she is under the influence of drugs. Discuss the actions you would take and what part(s) of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses help guide your actions. |
| Provision(s) and Section(s)
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| Why?
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| CASE #2
You are working on a medical-surgical floor and your colleague Nancy discloses to you that her neighbor, Mrs. Smith, is a patient on the floor. Nancy is concerned because the patient is not doing well; in fact, there has been a Hospice Consult. Nancy feels terrible and stated that the patient asked her not to tell anyone about her condition. The dilemma Nancy presents to you is that Nancy’s own parents are good friends with Mrs. Smith and it was only yesterday that her Mom was asking about Mrs. Smith. In addition, Mrs. Smith is a member of the congregation in the church Nancy attends. Since it is a small church, everyone seems to know each other….she is also afraid other members of the congregation will ask where Mrs. Smith is. How will you handle the situation? Discuss the actions you would take and what part(s) of the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses help guide your actions
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| Provision(s) and Section(s)
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| Why? |
