Applied Ethics: On The Nature Of Ethics In The Professional World

Thorne McFarlane

Applied Ethics Paper

Dr. Sukhdeep Gill

April 7, 2014

Introduction: On the Nature of Ethics in Applied Practice

Ethics is practiced every day. Put simply, ethical values form an integrative piece of the professional world. Regardless of profession, it can thus be expected that an opportunity arises in which one must make some sort of ethical deliberation. Despite its ubiquitous nature, ethical issues remain among the most complex and grainy aspects of the professional world. Profound questions are raised and boundaries become more obscure.

Beyond the lofty, detached shelter of classroom walls, there exists an untamed world. I’m speaking of a world where learned definitions cannot always be prescribed as a prophylaxis and doled out as a catchall measure. Instead, the professional world calls for each of us to cultivate our ethical selves by becoming people who are sensitive to the evolving, complex, and sometimes volatile world of ethics. The point of this paper, thus, is not to portray the professional world as an unfulfilled, amoral ethical void. Rather, this paper intends to explore the ethical gradations present in the professional world – specifically, within my aspired professional field: health care.

Early Motivations: Exploring Interest the Health Care Profession

In just a few short months, I will be commencing the celebratory, yet daunting, rite of graduation. I came to college with a burgeoning desire to help others who struggle to escape the harrowing shadows of painful medical conditions. I see the field of health care administration as an avenue to help me actualize this goal. Further, I always call forth the time I spent as a youth at the Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, New York as...

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...ngs for me will be finding that delicate dualistic balance of maintaining a relationship with the patient that is both empathic and professional.

As I near the end of this paper, the image of the truly ethical health care professional becomes more lucid. The truly ethical health care professional is the virtuoso; well-versed in the various legal and ethical aspects of the profession. This individual possesses a remarkable sense of self-awareness and is able to respond to each ethical dilemma with aplomb. This model is a difficult standard to achieve and involves a lifetime’s worth of observation, professional training, re-training, and personal introspection. In essence, the paradigm of the truly ethical health care professional returns me to where I first began: with the recognition that the health care profession is as ethically-nuanced as it is rewarding.