Ethics Paper Guidelines

Purpose of this Assignment
This is the second formal scholarly writing assignment in the ABSN program. There will be at least one formal scholarly writing assignment in each session in the program. In completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your ability to:

1. Follow assignment-specific guidelines
2. Apply APA format and style guidelines in scholarly writing
3. Structure and communicate ideas effectively in written communication
4. Paraphrase and cite ideas from outside sources
5. Synthesize ideas from trusted sources to support your ideas
6. Practice applying the ethical framework for decision-making in professional nursing
   Assignment Guidelines
   • Review the case study in the Buckway and Sowerby Course Point Learning Unit 1 Module 1.3 – Factors Affecting Ethical Decision Making on Screen 4 of 9, where a 44-year-old man was paralyzed from the neck down after an accident and was treated by a physician in an emergency room. Assume an emergency department (ED) nurse was present when the patient stated he did not want to be resuscitated again and refused the pacemaker. The nurse then saw the physician write the order for the pacemaker placement regardless of the patient’s expressed wishes.
   • Write a two-page scholarly paper in response to the following instructions that apply the first four steps in the ethical decision-making process described in Interactive Module 2.01 or Buckway and Sowerby (2023).
   o Identify and Clarify the Ethical Problem: This will serve as the introductory paragraph for the paper. Describe an ethical problem based exclusively on the information provided in the case study and the description of the ED nurse’s involvement above. Describe which, if any, of the nine ethical principles are most relevant to determining the solution to the problem from the ED nurse’s perspective.

o Gather Factual Data: The information about this case is limited to the single-paragraph narrative provided. Describe what additional data, if any, the ED nurse needs to complete the clinical picture and begin to develop and weigh options. Do not fabricate any missing data. Describe any challenges with gathering this data, such as time and availability of other sources of information.

o Identify and Evaluate Options: Describe a minimum of two alternative courses of action the ED nurse could take when faced with an ethical problem. What are the client’s worst- and best-case consequences for each alternative? The physician? The nurse? The hospital? Could either of the options produce moral distress for the ED nurse?

o Make a Decision: Is there a clear decision to be made, or do these options pose an ethical dilemma? Select one of the ethical decision-making theories and one of the ethical-decision making approaches to select one option the ED nurse could choose.

For example, “Using the rights-based decision-making theory, the ED nurse would choose option x because… This would be a deontological approach because….”

o Reflect: In practice, the fifth step would be to act on the decision and assess the outcomes. Since this is a hypothetical situation, conclude the paper with a reflection on which provisions from the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements were upheld by the decision that was selected when the decision-making approach & theory were applied.
Don’t forget to include:
• Follow APA format and style guidelines, including a title page and references page (which are not included in the page count).
• Include an introductory paragraph and a concluding paragraph in addition to the body of the paper.
• Do not make non-original generalizations without citing a source. Consider if the ANA code of ethics or the Buckway and Sowerby text should be cited for non-original ideas and concepts that are not common knowledge.
• Do not use first-person references (self – I, me, my, etc.).
• Use direct quotations sparingly. Paraphrasing and synthesizing are more appropriate.
• Each paragraph should be a minimum of three sentences but no more than six or seven sentences.
• Ensure that every source cited in the body of the paper is listed on the references page, and every source listed on the references is cited in the body of the paper. Points will be deducted if a source is listed in one place but not the other.