course material

1. discussion and peer replies
Ethical Theories Applied to Decision Making Question 1 Ethical theories and approaches
provide an accepted code of conduct for deciding in the wake of adversity. In my first job as
an intern, I was assigned to an organization that rescues young boys from abusive homes.
The organization had set up a rescue center where boys under 12 years were protected
from abusive parents. I joined the organization when it was starting. My responsibilities
included setting up the canter, buying furniture and beddings, preparing the boarding
rooms, hiring the chef, and welcoming the boys. One month after joining the center, we
received our first guest. Within a month, the center had received a total of 20 boys. The boys
were difficult to deal with since most had a history of physical and sexual abuse from their
guardians. Some of the boys were recovering drug addict, and they experienced some
episodes once in a while. However, the most challenging aspect of my job was dealing with
the founding director Mr. Hodec. The director was an abusive middle-aged man who had
been convicted of child abuse in the past. Using his networks, he had managed to conceal
this information from the children’s department and got approval to set up the rescue
center. Mr. Hodec would abuse the boys verbally, especially when they raised a complaint
regarding the center. Over the weekend, the boys were allowed to go home, and most came
back beaten. We raised the issue with Mr. Hodec, but he insisted that the boys should keep
going home. During one incident, one of the boys came back with bruises after being
assaulted by his stepfather. Mr. Hodec was the first person to see the boy, and upon seeing
the bruises, he told the boy to go and clean-up to hide the bruises. Disappointed, in anguish
and mad, the boy tried to commit suicide, and that is when I realized I needed to step up to
help the boys. I drafted a resignation letter, handed it to Mr. Hodec and went to the
children’s department to report the incident. My report prompted the Children’s
department to investigate Mr. Hodec conduct and history regarding violence. The
investigation revealed that Mr. Hodec was unfit to run the rescue center, and his license was
revoked, and the boys transferred to another center. In this situation, I applied the
utilitarianism theory of ethics in arriving at a decision (Mill 2016). According to
utilitarianism theory, the ethical decision should be made based on the greatest good for
many people. According to this theory, one should self-sacrifice to attain a greater good for
many people. In this situation, I had to sacrifice my job to rescue the boys. I couldn’t
safeguard both my job and the boy’s well-being. The utilitarianism theory is based on the
potential outcome of a decision (Wallace 2019). Instead of weighing the choice and
consequences of a decision, a decisionmaker is forced to overlook the minority. In my

2. situation, the minority parties were Mr.Hodec and I. We had to lose our livelihoods to
safeguard the interests of the majority. Question 2 In my final year of studying, I opened a
small clinic alongside my friend Thomas. The clinic was located in an informal estate where
a majority of the residents are low-income earners. Initially, we use to offer simple clinical
services like treating colds, dressing wounds, offering, and first aid services. The clinic was
starting to pick up with clients referring their friends and family. Though I had not
graduated, my friend Thomas was a licensed clinician registered with the board. We used
his license to register the clinic to meet the legal requirements. Our services were highly
affordable since we understood our target market. One afternoon, a young lady who seemed
to be in anguish walked into the clinic. I was on duty that day as Thomas was away buying
medicines. The lady was complaining of abdominal pains. I did a quick assessment of the
patient and recommended that we do a laboratory test. I noticed that the lady was hesitant
to conduct the tests. As a medic, I could not treat her without a proper understanding of the
condition; hence, I opted to call an ambulance to take her to the nearest hospital. Upon
realization that the matter was escalating, the lady chose to open up and revealed that she
had had an attempt to terminate a pregnancy. She went on to request my services to
terminate the pregnancy successfully. This situation presented a moral dilemma. Being a
nurse and a pro-life, I could not aid in terminating a life. On the other hand, the young lady
had made it clear that she was not ready to be a mother, and she wanted to terminate the
pregnancy. Meanwhile, her condition was worsening. She had started bleeding, and I knew
she needed medical attention urgently to save her life and the baby. After consideration, I
decided to save the young lady and the unborn baby and called an ambulance. I informed
the medics that the lady had suffered a fall and needed medical attention to save her and the
baby. Though I knew it affected the lady’s well-being, I felt I did the right thing by saving the
baby. The situation when I experienced Moral Suffering One of my responsibilities as a
medic is to inspire society to always choose right over wrong (Hashemi, Ahsan & Kirnon-
Jackman 2018). While working as an intern at the general hospital, I was assigned to the
emergency services department. One afternoon, we received a call from the local police
regarding a hostage situation in the mall. As the nearest hospital, we were providing
emergency services to the rescued hostages. One of the injured patients was criminal. He
was shot in a shootout with the police. The moral suffering has to treat and save the life of a
criminal, who had injured and killed several people. The choice was not easy, but
remembering that my call as a medic is to treat, made it easier for me to treat the criminal.
References Hashemi, S., Ahsan, S. D., & Kirnon-Jackman, O. (2018). KCL Clinical and
Academic Research Society (CARS) & NSAMR National Student Research Conference 2018.
Journal of the National Student Association of Medical Research, 1(1), 18-19. Mill, J. S.
(2016). Utilitarianism. In Seven masterpieces of philosophy (pp. 337-383). Routledge.
Wallace, J. D. (2019). Moral relevance and moral conflict. Cornell University Press. Ethical
principles Ethics of care Utilitarianism Deontology Natural law theory Justice Autonomy
Beneficence. Deontology is one of the most significant theories in the nursing field.
Essentially, this theory is fundamental in the conflict solving process. While deontology
does not help resolve disputes by acting like an absolute tool, it does that by defining one’s
character that influences their decision making (Haynes, 2016). In this case, an individual is

3. bound to make decisions based on obligations and accountabilities of the subject.
Profoundly, human actions should be judged according to one’s duties concerning their
morals. It means that the characteristics of a particular action renders it morally upright
and not the consequences of that action. But some actions are indistinguishable hence
rendering them morally good on the Deontology basis might be inappropriate (Cook, 2018).
However, since there exist several theories an approach, then such actions might fall under
a different elucidation. Among the existing essential ethical theories, Deontology theory has
dominated a significant part of my career beliefs (Hunt & Vitell, 2016). One of my roles as a
nurse was to administer medicine to admitted patients according to doctor’s prescription.
At one instance, I was to collect oxycodone from the hospital’s pharmacy, for a patient who
was under intense pain. But to my surprise, the drugs were out of stock. According to the
records, previously ordered oxycodone ought to have lasted until the next supply. I inquired
about the inconvenience from the pharmacist in charge, and she denied. But after a few
intimidations on reporting her to the medical officer in charge of the overall hospital, she
admitted to having taken some home without the doctor’s consent. According to the
hospital’s policy and moral ethics as well, such an act is bound to reporting. But when I
learned that she had taken those drugs to take to her sick uncle who could not afford
seeking services from the hospital, I let the issue go. Question 2: Has there ever been a time
when you have experienced the dilemma of having to make a choice that you know will
affect the well-being of another individual? Have you ever experienced moral suffering?
Indeed, I have faced several tight spot situations in my nursing career, which have
compelled me to make morally tormenting decisions. One Sunday evening, while I was in
charge, the maternity ward was full. The hospitals’ policy clearly indicated that no patient
should be discharged on a Sunday regardless of their condition. I received a young woman
who was apparently experiencing her labor pains. However, the admission ward did not
have space for her. But a lady had already spent enough time in the hospital after delivery,
and she was scheduled for discharge on the following day. From the look of things, the
woman appeared okay, and she would have provided space for the lady I pain without any
inconveniences. But discharging her on that day was a violation of the institution’s policy,
and I would have risked my job. So, I had to instruct the lady in pain together with her
accomplices to find help from another hospital, while I knew that no hospital was nearby.
References Cook, T. (2018). Deontologists Can Be Moderate. The Journal of Value Inquiry,
199-212. Haynes, F. (2016). Ethics and Education. Encyclopedia of Educational Philosophy
and Theory, 1-5. Hunt, S., & Vitell, S. J. (2016). Personal Moral Codes and the Hunt-Vitell
Theory of Ethics: Why Do People’s Ethical Judgments Differ?. . In Business ethics: New
challenges for business school and corporate leaders.