Ethical Dilemmas In Nursing Practice

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Working in the labor and delivery unit, we as nurses are frequently faced with ethical dilemmas in our nursing practice. Recently, a pregnant woman presented to our hospital from out of town. She was in labor and had no intention of taking the newborn home upon discharge. One of our physicians knew of a couple who had wanted to adopt for years. After obtaining consent from the laboring patient as well as the adoptive parents, he provided the laboring patient with the phone number of the couple’s attorney. I quickly notified the Nursing Director as well as our Social Worker of my concern that the physician was potentially practicing in an unethical manner. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), encourages physicians to provide information about adoption without personal bias or opinion (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG], 2012 p. 1321).…show more content…
The nurse establishes therapeutic relationships with patients and administers nursing care that respects the unique differences of the patient. This includes considerations of lifestyle, value system, and religious beliefs. Respect for the values and beliefs, of the patient, does not imply that the nurse condones those beliefs or practices on a personal level” (American Nurses Association [ANA], 2015a). I feel that the other nurses and I followed the ANA Code of Ethics while taking care of this patient. We were able to care for her and her infant in a compassionate manner while supporting her dignity and self-worth without supporting our own opinions and

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