for DNP 840 Drawing on your nursing or nursing leadership experience, present an ethical dilemma you faced, how you would have used the ANA Code of Ethics as a guiding resource, and evaluate any gaps you would have noted in the ANA Code of Ethics that could have helped resolve this concern

Nurse leaders face ethical dilemmas at their workplaces that need to be addressed. As a nurse leader, I encountered a situation where a healthcare professional refused to provide care to a patient because the patient had different values from hers. The healthcare professional stated that her religious values and beliefs forbid her from interacting with individuals from the LGBTQ+ population. The patient’s condition required immediate attention, and I could not find her replacement because other nurses were busy with other duties and responsibilities. The nurses’ refusal to provide care raises a significant healthcare issue. Ethical principles, specifically justice, require nurses to provide high-quality patient care despite their sexual orientation (Haddad & Geiger, 2021). This refusal to provide care puts the patient’s health at risk. It violates the ANA Code of Ethics, which requires nurses to provide compassionate, respectful, and non-discriminatory care to all patients.

Using the ANA Code of Ethics as a guiding resource to address the ethical issue. I would assess the nurse’s perspective and the potential impact on the patient’s health and well-being. In this case, the ANA code of ethics requires nurses to provide safe, culturally-competent, and efficient care to everyone and ensure respect for the dignity and worth of every person (Haddad & Geiger, 2021). As a healthcare professional, I am faced with educating the nurse about the significance of providing quality care to all patients. I had a transparent and honest conversation with the nurse to understand their perspective and beliefs and to explain how their actions were not aligned with the ANA Code of Ethics. I also ensured that she underwent training on cultural competence, diversity, and inclusion, which helped the nurse provide high-quality care to all patients.

However, the ANA Code of Ethics may have some gaps that could hinder addressing the ethical issue appropriately. For instance, the subject of religious views and how they could clash with providing non-discriminatory care needs to be addressed explicitly in the ANA Code of Ethics. The Code should offer additional direction on how nurses can create a balance between their moral convictions and their professional responsibilities to treat every patient with compassion and respect, regardless of their sexual orientation. The Code should also include more detailed guidance for nursing leaders on how to deal with and avoid workplace discrimination, such as through developing policies and practices that support diversity, equity, and inclusion.

References

Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2021). Nursing ethical considerations. NCBI; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/