ETHICAL DILEMMAS 2
Ethical Dilemmas in Nursing
Ethics stipulate the manner in which individuals perform their work as it states the do’s
and don’ts of a profession. Ethics include, fairness, integrity and all other aspects that will make
an individual feel like her interests in a matter were addressed to satisfaction (Doucet, 2016).
However, dilemmas arise in terms of disaster when the nurses may not be prepared for the
catastrophic event as however the circumstance, they have to ensure that ethics, professionalism
and efficiency are upheld.
An example of an ethical dilemma could occur in a case whereby there is an accident and
there is only one ambulance with a capacity to carry four people while the casualties are seven.
The dilemma is that however the ambulance has to ensure patient safety and comfort, the patients
also need immediate care thus there is a hard choice between two choices which are all
important.
In such a case nurses should just think on the best way forward to ensure care which is
their primary role. They should therefore bend some rules if need be as long as whatever they
will engage in will uphold life. Nurses can be prepared for such situations by scheduling
emergency lessons and even drills that will make them move, act and even think effectively in
such moments as when they occur in reality, confusion is always high and even those who may
have skills in the scenario will hardly find rule to communicate effectively.
In conclusion, it is clear from the study that all nurses should have emergency theoretical
and practical skills that will make them ready for such cases when they arise. In the ambulance
case for example, the hospital fraternity can outsource private case and rent them which is a rare
