In the video, Moral Dilemma…what would you do? (Warring, 2013), the situation is presented that I am stranded on a deserted island with the Pope and the world’s best heart surgeon. There are only enough building materials to build a two-man raft. Would I go and take the Pope with me, leaving behind the heart surgeon; go and take the heart surgeon with me, leaving behind the Pope; or stay behind and allow the other two people to go?
Using the “ethical decision-making model” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p. 163-166), I will determine the best course of action for myself, the Pope, and the heart surgeon.
1. Articulate the problem. A moral dilemma occurs “when one or more moral norms exist to support one cause of action, and one or more moral …show more content…
If I were to take the heart surgeon instead of the Pope, I would expect to be judged more harshly on my personal judgment day. I don’t believe that my staying behind will alter life as we know it; whereas, leaving behind a heart surgeon or the Pope can alter life drastically for many people. Philippians 2:3-4 reads, “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (English Standard Version). Because I am about 15 pounds heavier than I should be, being without the conveniences of the local Wal-Mart food section would not hurt me at all. The combination of my paramedic, emergency nursing, and fishing skills, would allow me to survive for a few days. Due to my sound decision making skills and my amazing personality, the survivors would send someone to rescue me as well. So, being by myself and surviving for a few days is not an undoable task. I like me, and I can spend time with myself without difficulty. If in fact, no one came to rescue me, I will have acted in the best interest of all those involved, so I would still be satisfied with the decision that I made. I am a loyal believer in standing by the decisions that I make, what will be will be. I also know that life is not all about what I can achieve at …show more content…
This coming Friday, I will be transitioning out of my home department of 10 plus years, and into a House Supervisor’s position. The struggle to make the decision to stay with my current employer or to seek employment elsewhere was agonizing. After reading this section (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, pp.170-180), I understand why it was such a struggle. As noted in the reading material, nurses are leaving the bedside because of the moral dilemmas that present without a clear solution of how to amend the issues. In my mind, professional nursing does not include cutting corners to save money. Yes, we all should be cognizant of the costs and budget constraints, but doing more with less has not proven to be productive in my line of work. With the upcoming cuts that are proposed for the medical profession, I can only imagine that the struggle will increase. I was not aware that I was experiencing moral distress, until now. I do not intend for what I am about to write to sound condescending or stereotypical in any way, but I believe that doctors and nurses view morals in a different light. Some of the things that I have witnessed were beyond my belief, and the doctors looked at me as if to say, “what are you looking at me like that for?”. Most of the doctors that I have worked with have a different definition of morals than I, not necessarily in a bad way, just different. Being an emergency room nurse, I have met more physicians
Using the “ethical decision-making model” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p. 163-166), I will determine the best course of action for myself, the Pope, and the heart surgeon.
1. Articulate the problem. A moral dilemma occurs “when one or more moral norms exist to support one cause of action, and one or more moral …show more content…
If I were to take the heart surgeon instead of the Pope, I would expect to be judged more harshly on my personal judgment day. I don’t believe that my staying behind will alter life as we know it; whereas, leaving behind a heart surgeon or the Pope can alter life drastically for many people. Philippians 2:3-4 reads, “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (English Standard Version). Because I am about 15 pounds heavier than I should be, being without the conveniences of the local Wal-Mart food section would not hurt me at all. The combination of my paramedic, emergency nursing, and fishing skills, would allow me to survive for a few days. Due to my sound decision making skills and my amazing personality, the survivors would send someone to rescue me as well. So, being by myself and surviving for a few days is not an undoable task. I like me, and I can spend time with myself without difficulty. If in fact, no one came to rescue me, I will have acted in the best interest of all those involved, so I would still be satisfied with the decision that I made. I am a loyal believer in standing by the decisions that I make, what will be will be. I also know that life is not all about what I can achieve at …show more content…
This coming Friday, I will be transitioning out of my home department of 10 plus years, and into a House Supervisor’s position. The struggle to make the decision to stay with my current employer or to seek employment elsewhere was agonizing. After reading this section (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, pp.170-180), I understand why it was such a struggle. As noted in the reading material, nurses are leaving the bedside because of the moral dilemmas that present without a clear solution of how to amend the issues. In my mind, professional nursing does not include cutting corners to save money. Yes, we all should be cognizant of the costs and budget constraints, but doing more with less has not proven to be productive in my line of work. With the upcoming cuts that are proposed for the medical profession, I can only imagine that the struggle will increase. I was not aware that I was experiencing moral distress, until now. I do not intend for what I am about to write to sound condescending or stereotypical in any way, but I believe that doctors and nurses view morals in a different light. Some of the things that I have witnessed were beyond my belief, and the doctors looked at me as if to say, “what are you looking at me like that for?”. Most of the doctors that I have worked with have a different definition of morals than I, not necessarily in a bad way, just different. Being an emergency room nurse, I have met more physicians