Purpose of Assignment
• Professionalism
I was faced with an ethical dilemma in clinical practice. To approach the problem in an
appropriate manner, I had to reference hospital policy, The American Nurses Association’s
(ANA) Scope and Standards of Practice, and The ANA’s Code of Ehtics for Nurses. I utilized
specialty specific standards of practice to take care of a mechanically ventilated patient. Due to
the dynamic scope of the problem, I had to work with the hospital ethical and legal team to
advocate for my patient and reach an ethically sound solution.
o Understands the effect of legal and regulatory processes on nursing and healthcare
delivery, as well as limits to one’s own scope of practice
While taking care of my patients, I was faced with an ethical dilemma. Due to the
complexity of the issue, I referenced ANA guidelines to ensure I handed the problem in a
manner that was appropriate for my scope of practice. I recognized the problem was out of my
scope of practice and involved my manager and interdisciplinary healthcare team according to
my hospitals regulatory processes. The hospital’s legal and ethical team were involved to ensure
that the problem was addressed in a legal and ethically sound manner.
• Leadership
o Assumes a leadership role within one’s scope of practice as a designer, manager, and
coordinator of health care to meet the special needs of vulnerable populations in a
variety of practice settings
I was the primary nurse responsible for taking care of a patient that was not able to speak
for himself due to the critical nature of his medical condition. I had to coordinate care and use
clinical judgement to advocate for my patient.