Jurisprudence Ethics Paper

Ethical dilemmas are presented to people nearly every day. Ethics is the discipline of dealing with good and bad and with moral duty and obligation (Unknown, 2011). When an ethical decision arises, many times it is not in a black or white area that can be selected. Usually, an ethical issue is in a grey area where what one person feels is right may be what another person feels is wrong. While in this grey area one must come to a conclusion using various additional sources. These sources can include: justice, or fairness; autonomy, the freedom to choose; beneficence, preventing or removing harm or doing or promoting good; nonbeneficence, doing no harm; veracity, telling the truth, and last but not least their morals and values, or their beliefs that guide their right or wrong behavior.

In the case study that will be discussed throughout this essay a nurse was working for a two physician practice. The physicians decided to end their working relationship and the nurse was assigned the task of photocopying the charts of the physician who was relocating. In order to complete the assignment, the nurse decided to come in on a Saturday, when the office was closed, with her children aged eleven and thirteen, to assist her. One of the physicians had also stated he would pay the children for their assistance in photo copying the charts. When the second physician came in the office and saw what was occurring, he stopped the children from photocopying the charts. He then contacted the board of nursing and filed a complaint for violation of patients’ medical confidentiality against the nurse in the office. In turn, the board of nursing brought disciplinary action against the nurse. She in turn filed a lawsuit. Ethical issues to evaluate and...

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...Works Cited

Edwards, M.A., K. (2008). Confidentiality. Ethics in Medicine, retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/bioethx/topics/confiden.html

Hanson, W. (2011). Making ethical decisions: introduction. Josephson Institute Center for Ethics. Retrieved from http://josephsoninstitute.org/MED/index.html

Unknown. (2011). Merriam-webster dictionary. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Unknown. (2007). Nursing practice act, nursing peer review act, nurse licensure compact, & advanced practice registered nurse compact. Retrieved from http://www.bon.state.tx.us/nursinglaw/pdfs/npa2007.pdf

Unknown. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Civil Rights. (2011). Your health information is protected by federal law. Washington, DC: Retrieved from http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/index.html