For this week you will take the role of a human services professional working at a nursing home. Here is the ethical dilemma you face: THE PAGE OF THE BOOK ATTACHED I like my patients, and take good care of them. So many are unable to take care of themselves and rely on the staff to take care of their day-to-day and moment-to-moment needs. Some don’t even know what to ask for. I take my job seriously and try to provide the best care I can in a compassionate manner. I have a good friend, Gail, who desperately needed a job. She is a single parent with three young children. I recommended her for a job in this nursing home where I work. She was hired. To my surprise, I find that she does not take the job as seriously as I do. She cuts corners and does not feel responsible for the well being of her patients. When I tried to talk to her about it, she thought I was being too picky. So far, she has not been caught, and no one has been hurt. Use the Ethical Decision Making process described on pages 96-98 of your text and list your responses here at this assignment for Steps 1 – 5 of the 6 steps. (You will not be able to complete Step 6 Evaluation). For Step 3 Consult with Colleagues–go to the Discussion Board for this Assignment and check in with your fellow students for their opinions on how to handle this problem. Your classmates will be taking the role of colleagues working at the nursing home. Post your Discussion question with what you plan to do in this situation and ask for feedback from your classmates. Be sure to respond to at least 1 classmate. Chapter 4 ETHICAL STANDARDS OF HUMAN SERVICE PROFESSIONALS As you read earlier in the chapter, one challenge professional organizations face is keeping ethical codes current. In 2015, the National Organization for Human Ser- vices revised its Ethical Standards. One of the most important commitments human service professionals make is adherence to the ethical code of the professional organization to which they belong. This means that professionals read carefully the code, frequently review it, and reflect on its meanings. As you read the Ethical Standards at the end of the chapter, you will note that they address the topics discussed at the beginning of this chapter. The preamble introduces the goals or aims of the profession. The ethical standards then divide professional responsibilities into seven areas: to clients, to the public and society, to colleagues, to employers, to the profession, to self, and to students. These ethical standards and those in other helping professions provide guide- lines only. They do not provide answers to all ethical dilemmas. The ethical decision making that follows the ethical standards is helpful when these situations arise. ETHICAL DECISION MAKING LO 4-6 Clearly, no code of ethics or statement of standards can provide a course of action for every situation that might arise in the practice of human services. What does the human service professional do in situations for which there are no guidelines or there are guidelines that conflict? In such ethical dilemmas, the conflict is in determining the right thing to do regarding obligations to two or more constituencies: situations when a choice exists between contradictory directives or standards or an undesirable outcome for one or more persons results no matter the alternative (Dolgoff, Harrington, & Loewenberg, 2011). The areas of confidentiality, role con- flict, and counselor competence frequently present complex ethical dilemmas that are often not easy to resolve. Rather than attempt to provide possible solutions to every situation that comes to mind, this subsection will introduce ethical decision making for your consideration that can be applied to many dilemmas to determine a course of action. Determining the best action under the circumstances and with the individuals involved is at the crux of ethical decision making. To accomplish this, the helper must assume an attitude of moral responsibility. This should be distinguished from the kind of responsibility discussed earlier in this chapter. That responsibility is imposed by some higher authority, such as the profession or the government; it may be interpreted as one’s duty. Moral responsibleness, on the other hand, comes from within the individual, who assumes that there is a course of action that is morally right. A commitment to rational thinking and knowledge of moral principles are necessary components of moral reasoning. This requires that human service pro- fessionals spend time reflecting on their own values and beliefs in order to increase their awareness of their own positions. This is where ethical decision making begins. A second point of consideration in the decisionmaking process is client involve- ment, a basic tenet of both human services and ethics. Not only are the helper’s values and beliefs at play in ethical decision making but also the client’s. Awareness of the beliefs, values, culture, and religion of both the client and the helper will facilitate client involvement as well as increase the rational resolution of an ethical dilemma. A number of ethical decision-making models exist. Early models focused on a sequential number of steps, sometimes 5 or 7 or 9. Diagrams or lists of steps seem to portray a linear process that has been criticized for lack of a multicultural focus and a feminist perspective. In addition, there is little client interaction. Newer models do reflect a multicultural perspective that requires helpers to become more aware of how they see the world and how their views might influ- ence their ethical decision making. One model advocates for culturally sensitive eth- ical decision making based on an ethic of care and consideration of cultural power dynamics (Remley & Herlihy, 2016). Part of this model is the assessment of accul- turation and racial identity of both the client and the helper. Other newer models include a feminist perspective that sees ethical decision making in yet another way. This view takes into account the feelings, intuition, and context of the client, the helper, and the ethical dilemma, believing that traditional decision making follows the information processing style of white males—for exam- ple, linear, logical, and paternalistic (Remley & Herlihy, 2016). Recent trends in ethical decision-making models are the development of specialized models that focus on specific populations or issues. For example, ethical decision mak- ing with a college student over age 18 might be very different from that of a school age child who is a minor and subject to school regulations and policies and parental control. Whichever model you choose to follow when ethical dilemmas arise, rarely will the process be linear. In reality, many aspects of ethical decision making will occur simultaneously. All should involve the client. 1) Identify the problem. This may involve gathering additional information; con- sidering the legal, ethical, moral, and professional perspectives; and determin- ing the issues involved. d. If it is determined that the dilemma is a legal issue, then you will want to consult an attorney, state and local laws, and policies and procedures. 2. Review ethical standards. During this process, you will think about your own values and beliefs and how they are influencing your perspective. 3. Consult with colleagues or experts. Legal counsel, coworkers, and supervisors are some of the resources who can be tapped to obtain different perspectives about the dilemma, improving objectivity. In addition, consultation is also evidence that a helper has acted in good faith if there is a legal challenge to the decision. (WRITE A QUESTION FOR ME TO ASK 4. Identify and explore options. Both brainstorming and consulting are techniques that increase the numbers and types of options worth consideration. An import- ant part of this step is thinking about the desired outcomes and the advantages and disadvantages or risks and benefits of each option. The client is a valuable partner in this process and can help clarify cultural and contextual aspects. 5. Choose a desired course of action and act. Then evaluate both the process and the choice. 6. Evaluation is a critical step in ethical decision making and one that is often neglected. Feelings of relief about a resolution may make the helper think this activity is unnecessary. There are some questions to ask yourself at the conclu- sion of the process. • Does the decision feel right to both you and the client? • Do you have any feelings of doubt or discomfort? • If you could go through the process again, would you arrive at the same conclusion? • How would you feel about your decision appearing in the newspaper? We have discussed dilemmas that involve competency and responsibility, confi- dentiality, and clients’ rights and have presented brief cases to illustrate problems that might arise in actual practice. As you consider how you would respond to each case, review the steps in the previous paragraph and follow them as you deliberate. The fol- lowing questions may be useful as you consider how you would respond to each case. 1. State the dilemma clearly. There may be more than one; if so, please think of all that you can. Is it an ethical or legal dilemma? 2. How do culture, family, values and beliefs, and religion influence the dilemma? 3. What options are available to you and the client? 4. What are the disadvantages and advantages of each option, taking into consideration the context and the culture? 5. What action do you choose? 6. What factor most influenced your decision? 7. How do you feel about your decision? Purchase answer to see full attachment Tags: ethical dilemma the Workplace Professional Integrity professional commitment needy patients User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool’s honor code & terms of service.