Question 1

Ethical dilemmas in nursing practice occur where&#10;A) there are several possible answers to a patient care issue&#10;B) the values of one actor are in conflict with those of another actor&#10;C) there is no one right answer to a patient care issue&#10;D) there is a conflict among competing values&#10;E) all of these

Accepted Answer

all of these.

Question 2

The ethical system that involves using external rules as a guide to decision making when faced with an ethical dilemma is called&#10;A) act-deontology&#10;B) rule-deontology&#10;C) utilitarianism&#10;D) egoism&#10;E) pragmatism

Accepted Answer

rule-deontology. In act-deontology, the decision maker is guided by her own moral values. In utilitarianism, the decision maker bases decisions on achieving the greatest good for the most people. In egoism, the decision maker bases decisions on what she thinks is right or what will make her feel good. Pragmatism is not an ethical system.

Question 3

The ethical system that involves balancing potential outcomes of an ethical dilemma in order to select the one that will yield the greatest good for the most people is called&#10;A) act-deontology&#10;B) rule-deontology&#10;C) utilitarianism&#10;D) egoism&#10;E) pragmatism

Accepted Answer

utilitarianism. In act-deontology, the decision maker is guided by her own moral values. In rule-deontology, the decision maker bases decisions on external rules for action. In egoism, the decision maker bases decisions on what she thinks is right or what will make her feel good. Pragmatism is not an ethical system.

Question 4

Based on research by Kohlberg and Gilligan on moral development, the clinical nursing instructor can expect that nursing students will act&#10;A) to avoid a negative outcome affecting them personally&#10;B) to obey an authoritative person&#10;C) out of a sense of duty&#10;D) based on a self-chosen ethical framework&#10;E) either c or d

Accepted Answer

either c or d. Acting out of a sense of duty describes the late conventional stage of moral development, which is reached by most adults. Acting based on a self-chosen ethical framework describes the postconventional stage of moral development, which may or may not be present in adults. The other options describe stages that children go through in relation to moral development.

Question 5

A first step in helping students to work through ethical dilemmas in nursing practice is to guide them to identify the standard or principle involved. Such standards arise from which of the following?&#10;A) Fundamental perceived rights and obligations.&#10;B) Fundamental perceived rights and biases.&#10;C) Fundamental perceived societal needs and biases.&#10;D) Fundamental perceived societal needs and social justice.&#10;E) Fundamental perceived obligations and social justice.

Accepted Answer

Fundamental perceived rights and obligations. Biases do not describe a standard or principle. Societal needs are one aspect of fundamental perceived rights. Social justice is one aspect of fundamental perceived obligations.

Question 6

Nursing students may face constraints on their ability to act on an ethical decision. These constraints include&#10;A) lack of power to act&#10;B) the role of the student&#10;C) organizational barriers&#10;D) any of these&#10;E) only a and c

Accepted Answer

any of these. The role of the student acts as a constraint on her ability to act on an ethical decision because she lacks the authority or power to act due to her student role.

Question 7

The student-teacher relationship is fraught with potential ethical dilemmas that arise from the clinical nursing instructor's&#10;A) clinical and professional competence&#10;B) academic freedom&#10;C) position of power and control&#10;D) need to span boundaries between the clinical and academic settings&#10;E) all of these

Accepted Answer

position of power and control. The instructor's clinical and professional competence are essential to her role and do not present an ethical dilemma in her relationships with students. Academic freedom provides the instructor with a degree of latitude on how she will deliver the instruction necessary to achieve program objectives but, again, does not present an ethical dilemma in relationships with students. Similarly, the need to span boundaries between the clinical and academic settings may set up internal dilemmas for the instructor, but these are unrelated to the student-teacher relationship.

Question 8

Which of the following acts by a clinical nursing instructor would not be a violation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)?&#10;A) Posting of grades on written work using only the last four digits of each student's social security number.&#10;B) Asking a clinical staff member to observe and assess the performance of a borderline student.&#10;C) Discussing the reasons for a student's removal from the clinical area with a concerned parent.&#10;D) Praising a student's clinical performance during the post-conference.&#10;E) Asking a student to deliver another student's graded paper sealed in a manila envelope.

Accepted Answer

asking a clinical staff member to observe and assess the performance of a borderline student. This action provides a check on the clinical nursing instructor's own observations and potential bias in evaluating the borderline student. It preserves rather than violates student's rights.

Question 9

&#34;Rules of thumb&#34; can guide value selection in any ethical dilemma, whether related to patient care or the student-instructor relationship. A clinical nursing instructor who chooses to counsel a student who lied about completing a patient care assignments rather than removing her from the clinical setting is most likely using which of the following &#34;rules of thumb&#34;?&#10;A) Productive, relatively permanent values are preferred over those that are less enduring.&#10;B) Values that are good in themselves are preferred to values are means to attain other goals.&#10;C) Value selection is based on self-chosen ideals that are internally consistent.&#10;D) Values that are means to attain other goals are preferred over those are based on self-chosen ideals.&#10;E) Values that are good in themselves are preferred over those that are less enduring.

Accepted Answer

productive, relatively permanent values are preferred over those that are less enduring. This clinical instructor is attempting to preserve the student's status in the nursing program and counsel her regarding the potential impacts of lying about clinical work. In this regard the instructor has chosen the long-term goal of preparing a professional nurse rather than acting on her anger and frustration at the student's dishonesty.

Question 10

Meeting the demands of the position of clinical nursing instructor requires the instructor to&#10;A) review a student's record of clinical performance prior to conducting a student conference&#10;B) provide timely feedback on individual student performance regardless of the method used to provide such feedback&#10;C) maintain visibility both in the clinical and at events that are significant to students&#10;D) all of these&#10;E) only a and b

Accepted Answer

all of these. Timely feedback on student performance is essential to the student's learning and a key component of the instructional role.

Deck 17: Ethical Issues in Nursing Education