Assignment 1: Practicum Journal Entry: Analyzing an Ethical
Decision
In your role as a PMHNP, you will encounter several
situations that will require your ability to make sound judgments and practice
decisions for the safety and well-being of individuals, families, and
communities. There may not be a clear-cut answer of how to address the issue,
but your ethical decision making must be based on evidenced-based practice and
what is good, right, and beneficial for patients. You will encounter patients
who do not hold your values, but you must remain professional and unbiased in
the care you provide to all patients regardless of their socio-demographic and
ethnic/racial background. You must be prepared to critically analyze ethical
situations and develop an appropriate plan of action. For this Assignment, you
review the literature and discover the various ethical dilemmas PMHNPs
encounter and how these issues are typically addressed in your state.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
· Analyze salient ethical issues in psychiatric mental
health practice
· Compare ethical dilemmas with state health laws and
regulations
· Analyze ethical decision-making processes
To prepare:
· Review literature for moral/ethical issues encountered by
a PMHNP.
· Select one of the articles you found that was published
within the last 5 years to use as a focus for this assignment.
Write a 2-page paper in which you do the following:
· Summarize the moral/ethical issue in the article (no more
than 1 paragraph).
· Describe the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding the
issue.
· Analyze the ethical issue and compare them to the state
health laws and regulations in your state.(Texas)
· Outline the process of ethical decision making you would
use to address this ethical dilemma.
Note: Be sure to use the Practicum Journal Template, located
in this week’s Learning Resources.
