Skip to Main Content

Nursing Ethics (Nursing): Course Outline

This course is designed to provide the learner with an over view of basic concepts of ethics, its theory, principles, and norms. This course will raise awareness of factors that needs to consider when dealing with ethical decisions and affirm nursing as a

Course Description:

This course is designed to provide the learner with an over view of basic concepts of ethics, its theory, principles, and norms. This course will raise awareness of factors that needs to consider when dealing with ethical decisions and affirm nursing as an ethically responsible profession. It will also provide a forum for learner to reflect upon issues or ethical dilemma which they identify during their clinical practice.

Course Objectives:

By the completion of the course, learners will be able to:

  1. Define ethical principles in health care.
  2. Discuss ethical, moral and professional responsibilities of the nurse.
  3. Discuss the nurse’s individual liability with in the ethical scope of nursing practice.
  4. Identify ethical concern at the clinical area and discuss alternatives for the identified ethical concerns.
  5. Discuss the changing health environment for the role of nurse in delivery of ethical nursing care
Teaching/Learning/strategies:
Interactive lectures, small group discussions, role play, group presentation, debate and case-studies discussion.

Unit I

Introduction to Nursing Ethics

  1. Define the terms: ethics, nursing ethics and bio-ethics, value, belief, morals, attitude, conflict, dilemma, ethical dilemma
  2. Discuss importance of ethics in nursing
  3. Review criteria of a profession
  4. Develop Characteristics of a Professional Nurse

Unit II

 Value Set
  1. Define Value &value clarification
  2. List types of values
  3. Identify personal, societal, organizational professional and moral values
  4. Explain modes of value transmission
  5. Recognize value conflicts and its implication to nursing practice.
  6. List advantages of value clarification in nursing profession.
  7. Develop professional values
  8. Discuss implication of Nursing Care Ethics in Divers Society.

Unit III

 Ethical Principles and Theories

  1. Discuss ethical principles in health care in the light of ethical theories.
  2. Discuss the ethical dilemmas face by nurses and client.
  3. Discuss the strategies to resolve ethical dilemma in daily nursing practice.
  4. List steps of ethical decision-making

Unit IV

Confidentiality and Informed consent
  1. Define confidentiality and informed consent
  2. Discuss the importance of confidentiality & consent
  3. List ethical and legal elements of informed consent
  4. Discuss the process informed consent.
  5. Discuss nurse’s roles and responsibilities in consent process
  6. Implication of case consultation in nursing ethics.

Unit V

 Bills of Rights

  1. Define rights & bills of right.
  2. List the types of rights.
  3. Describe the role of nurse in relation to bills of right.
  4. Explain patient’s bills of right in a tertiary care health facility.

Unit VI

 Code of Ethics

  1. Define code & code of ethics.
  2. List the function & elements of ethical code
  3. Explain code of ethics by ICN and Pakistan Nursing Council
  4. Compare code of ethics by ICN and Pakistan Nursing Council
  5. Discuss application of code of ethics in clinical settings.
  6. Define Nursing Pledge in relation to code of ethics.

Unit VII

Professional Autonomy and Ethics

  1. Define profession, professional, autonomy, accountability and unity.
  2. Discuss the characteristics of professional nurse.
  3. Relate the code of ethics to professional status.
  4. Discuss the professional autonomy and ethics.
  5. Relate accountability to professional status.
  6. Discuss the concept of unity and its relationship to professional status in nursing.
  7. Relate Nursing ethics to standards of nursing practice.

Unit VIII

Ethical Dilemma in Professional Practice
  1. Define dilemma and professional obligation
  2. Identify common areas of negligence and nurses’ liability in these areas.
  1. Discuss nurses’ advocacy in various scenarios and clinical cases related to
    1. Life support equipment
    2. Selling body parts
    3. Risk management and occupational hazards.
    4. Documentation of nursing care.
    5. Employment issues
    6. Medical malpractice lawsuit

Unit-IX

International Health Organizations and Nursing Organizations
  1. Identify Nursing Organization all over the world
  2. Discuss function of International Council of Nursing
  3. Discuss the role of World Health Organization
  4. Elaborate the functions of Pakistan Nursing Association, Federation and Council

Clinical Objectives:

  1. Learners are required to apply ethical concept in clinical setting (FON, AHN, Advanced Concepts of Nursing and CHN)
  2. Demonstrate characteristics of a professional nurse.
  3. Explore  and  demonstrate  respect  patients’  /  families      values and beliefs’ clinical setting
  4. Develop professional values.
  5. Integrate nursing code of ethics and ethical principles in clinical setting.
  6. Observes the consent process in clinical setting
  7. Demonstrate respect for rights of patients and others
  8. Identify   ethical   concerns/issues   in   clinical   setting   and   discuss alternatives for identified ethical concern.
  9. Practice standard format for documentation of nursing care.

Recommended Books

Related Books