Ethics in Nursing

Announcements

• Students can submit announcements for class ahead of time (by Thursday morning) to add to the slide and set the timing.

Participants Needed!

• The study is interested in hearing from undergraduate BScN students about their use of ChatGPT.
• Eligibility requires full-time enrollment in the BScN program.
• Participants are contacted for an interview, lasting 30-45 minutes.
• Interviews are conducted via Zoom or in-person.
• Participants who complete an interview will receive a $10 Tim Hortons gift card.

CBNA - McGill University

• The mission of this non-profit organization is to serve, mentor, and empower Black Canadian nurses.
• The chapter aims to provide a support network for Black nursing students, connecting them with resources for academic and professional success.
• Students have avenues to connect with peers and feel empowered through interactions with other nurses of color.

Past Events

• Pictures of group events and activities related to the CBNA chapter.

Past Event: Open Discussion on Perinatal Grief

• Discussion session on perinatal grief from an AFRO-DESCENDANT perspective.
• Speakers include a PhD psychologist, and nursing students from the chapter.
• The event was held on March 9th 2024, from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM, in a physical location and was voluntary.

Event: Why Representation In Medicine Matters

• Joint event by CBNA, BMSA, QBMA, and SSMU
• Held on February 8th, 2024 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
• Feature an illustrator and medical student exploring artwork, narratives, and inspiration.

Community and Student Session

• A hybrid event (in person and online) held on November 20th, 4:00 PM–6:00 PM.
• This session will cover the Relevance of Challenging Anti-Black Racism.
• Speakers are Dr. Priscilla Boakye and Dr. Nadia Prendergast.

McGill CBNA Chapter

• Welcomes new members.
• Provides resources to learn more by visiting their Instagram page (@cbna.mcgill) and their email ([email protected], or [email protected]).
• Provides link to organization website (canadianblacknursesalliance.org) for further information.

Introduction to Normative Ethics

• Presented by Marianne Sofronas, RN, PhD, Faculty Lecturer, Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University, with thanks to Catherine-Anne Miller.
• Part of NUR1 424 Fall 2024.

Situating Class Material for Week 2

• Lecture covers ethical theories, dilemmas, moral distress, agency and courage.
• Supplemental materials on MyCourses include Feminist ethics, ethics of care, and videos about how to formulate ethical questions.
• Readings by Kotalik and Martin, Keatings and Adams, Storch (research ethics) and Glenda Sandy (Indigenous perspective) are mentioned.

Learning Objectives

• Students will compare ethical theory perspectives on issues.
• Students will identify dilemmas where fundamental values are at odds.
• Articulate ethical issues in practice using principles, ethical theories and values.
• Develop skills in ethical analysis to resolve dilemmas.
• Reflect on building moral resilience in nursing practice.

Ethical Foundations & Legal Foundations

• The topics covered include bioethics, nursing practice, cultural humility, safety, ethical theories, values, principles, moral courage, resilience, decision-making, and nursing codes of ethics.
• Legal considerations covering healthcare legislation, patient rights, professional obligations, and civil liability, along with informed consent and confidentiality regulations
• Content includes nursing codes of ethics, ethical dilemmas in clinical settings, analysis of ethical dilemmas, along with areas including End-of-Life & MAID, public health, and childhood nursing, and mental health

Guidance/Sources of Nursing Ethics

• Overview of legal frameworks, codes of ethics, coursework and clinical placements, institutional policies and procedures, clinical ethics services, external and institutional support resources, and history of medicine, nursing, moral philosophy and bioethics are included.

Content for Class 2

• Normative Ethics: Covers various paradigms such as virtue ethics, utilitarianism, deontology, principles, narrative ethics, relational ethics, casuistry, and interpretive approaches.
• Ethical Dilemmas and Decision-Making Process: Discusses how to identify ethical dilemmas, and frameworks/tools for ethical decision-making, ethical question review of cases and the importance of moral courage, distress, and resilience.

What is ethical theory/framework?

• A structure to organize concepts related to a particular set of theoretical questions, historically embedded in social, cultural and personal contexts.

Virtue Ethics

• Focuses on the character and motivations of the moral agent.
• Aims to define the character traits (virtues) of a good person, rather than focusing on rules or actions.
• Key concept: Eudaimonia (human flourishing), asking questions like: what kind of person am I and should I be?

Virtue Ethics Features

• Discusses virtue as a "trait of character manifested in habitual action."
• Explains the Aristotelian mean as a balance between deficiencies and excesses.
• Emphasizes that the "just middle" may vary among individuals

Phronesis - Practical Wisdom

• A critical element of virtue ethics, where a virtuous person deliberates and responds emotionally in the right sort of way to situations.

Virtue Ethics: Critiques

• Issues such as conflict resolution, cultural appropriateness, application across various contexts, and the development of virtues are examined.

Utilitarianism

• The principle of utilitarianism states "the end justifies the means" to achieve the greatest good for the greatest number.

Jeremy Bentham

• Highlights the moral worth of individual actions.

John Stuart Mill

• Clarifies the utilitarianism principle of promoting happiness and avoiding suffering.

Utilitarianism's Features/What is good?

• Actions driven by "greatest happiness for the greatest number" of people.
• Focus on the best possible outcome.

Does the End Justify the Means?

• Critiques point out the difficulties in predicting future consequences, fairness considerations, issues for vulnerable minorities, and the need for careful consideration of the means used to achieve an end.

Utilitarianism in Healthcare

• Application of utilitarianism principles in healthcare is examined with an emphasis on resource allocation (dealing with scarcity), collective good, public health, evidence-based care, and considerations for global health.

Deontology

• This ethical framework emphasizes duty and moral rules, where the means are just as important as the end.

Deontology's Features

• All humans have dignity, and respecting their worth is paramount (humans are rational).
• Moral value is based on voluntary, free will-driven actions.
• Moral choices happen when acting out of a sense of duty.

Deontology: Critiques

• Issues include the potential conflict between competing obligations, challenges related to the definition and application of rules, and questions concerning the source of moral duties and their appropriateness in context.

Deontology in Healthcare and Nursing

• Exploration of how duty-based principles affect roles, laws, and responsibilities in healthcare.
• Relationship between dignity, respect, and promoting autonomy are discussed.

Principlism

• A frequently utilized framework based on central principles like autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.

Principlism's Features

• Defines concepts of autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.
• Identifies related sub-principles such as veracity and fidelity to support the principles.

Principlism - Strengths & Critiques

• Explores the common language nature, structure and focus on rationality aspects of this widely used ethical approach.
• Addresses the risks of oversimplifying or applying the principles in a robotic/context-independent manner, and questions the presence of consensus among principles to avoid issues arising from conflict and prioritization.

Other Paradigms

• Relational Ethics: Focuses on ethical interactions and engagement within therapeutic relationships, emphasizing mutual respect.
• Narrative Ethics: Examines the lived experiences and stories as a way to approach ethical dilemmas.
• Casuistry: Focuses on applying abstract ethical principles to specific cases.
• Hermeneutics: Discusses ethical understanding and interpretation of experience.

Test your knowledge on ethical theories, moral decision-making, and the principles of nursing ethics. This quiz covers key concepts such as utilitarianism, deontology, and the importance of character in ethics. Explore various ethical dilemmas and decision-making frameworks relevant to nursing practice.