What’s all This Ethical Business??

understanding ethics and why it’s important for Health Unit Coordinators

Charity Bowie Bellmon, BS, CHUC

The relationship between ethics, morals, and the law

Ethical principles and theories to guide decision making

Decision making model for ethical dilemmas

Developing a personal code of ethics

What’s going to be covered

Ethics allows you to live an authentic life

Ethics makes you a more valuable employee

May result in your pausing before making a

potentially unethical decision

Ethics provides for a stable society

The Relationship

Is this correct?

Or is this correct?

Morals Law Ethics

Ethics = the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions

or a particular group, culture, etc.

Ethics, Morals, LawHow are they related?

"Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong.“

"Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs.“

"Being ethical is doing what the law requires.“

"Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society accepts.“

"I don't know what the word means."

How do you define ethics?

Autonomy: respect the rights of others to freely determine their own choices and decisions. Jonas: Mosby's Dictionary of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. (c) 2005, Elsevier.

beneficence: to do good

Nonmaleficence: do no harm

Justice: actions are fair to those involved

Ethical Principlescommon goals to achieve for successful

decision making

Virtue Ethics: states that character matters above all else.

Utilitarianism: the amount of happiness and suffering createdby a person’s actions is what really matters.

Consequentialism: the morality of an action depends on the ratio of good to evil that the action produces.

Care ethics: focuses ethical decision making on relationshipsbefore other factors.

Ethical TheoriesGuidance for decision making

file:///C:/Users/Charity/Documents/N.A.C.%20OF%20NAHUC/Ethics%20presentation/Ethics%20For%20Dummies%20Cheat%20Sheet%20-%20For%20Dummies.htm

The concept of Professional Ethics is partly comprised of what a professional should or should not do in the work place.

http://claudia-marie.hubpages.com/hub/Ethical-Issues-in-Health-Occupations

Code of ethics: are based on a formal set of rules adopted by an organization which can benefit the organization by promoting consistent results. Ethics are internally defined and personally adopted by individuals serving within a particular profession

Professional Ethics

Doctors: A physician shall be dedicated to providing competent medical care, with compassion and respect for human dignity and rights. http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/physician-resources/medical-ethics/code-medical-ethics/principles-

medical-ethics.page?

Nurses: the nurse in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems. http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics.pdf

Code of Ethics= how to behave in the work place

Members shall conduct themselves in such a manner as to gain the respect and confidence of the patients, health care personnel, and community, as well as respecting the human dignity of each individual.

Members shall protect the patient's rights, including the right to privacy.

Members shall strive to achieve and maintain a high level of competency.

Members shall strive to improve their knowledge and skills by participating in educational and professional activities and sharing the benefits of their attainments with their colleagues.

Unethical and illegal professional activities shall be reported to the appropriate authorities.

NAHUC’S CODE OF ETHICS for Health Unit Coordinators

David H.: Church :) , family upbringing and parents

Ethics, MORALS, LawSo, what shaped your morals?

Joe F.: .... For me it was family & church along with sibling interactions ...that latter part kind of helped more than anything because I was always physically and mentally interacting with my brothers and sisters...I think my "inner self" just latched onto what I thought or maybe WANTED to believe was right and went with that.... and tried to guide myself or at least take some guidance from my life lessons.

What shaped your morals?

What shaped your morals?

Tuere M.: My morals --what's right and wrong --are still being formed. The first shaping was from Mom and Dad; then, seeing other people suffering consequences from bad choices, spiritual belief systems, and tapping into my own conscience all continue to shape my morals.

Jason T.: Seriously...everything...

Our morals and ethics are formed, primarily,

by our parents, whether for better or worse.

The social structure we grow up in further

frames those ethics/morals. Further, events in

our lives, both big and small, have an effect

upon how we view things. Yet it's the

collection of all of our life experiences, good,

bad, wonderful, horrible...that ultimately

'tweak' those morals. The CORE of our moral

base, however, comes from our Creator.

What shaped your morals?

Personal morals are an individual’s beliefs as to what is right and wrong.

A set of rules or values created by the society to determine right and wrong.

Morals are more accurately derived from religious, or principle-centered values that do not change within a social organization or culture..http://www.ehow.com/info_8153913_differentiate-between-morals-ethics.html

Ethics, MORALS, Law

Basis for moral decisionsWhat’s yours?

“Do what the Bible tells you.”

“Follow your conscience.”

“Do the right thing.”

“Don’t dis me.”

“…all men are created… with certain unalienable Rights.”

Divine Command Theories

Ethics of conscience

Ethics of duty

The ethics of respect

The ethics of rights

Law: a rule of conduct or action prescribed or formally recognized as binding or enforced by a controlling authority

Law systems are often based on ethical or religious principles and are enforced by the police and criminal justice systems such as the courts.

Ethics, Morals, LAW

A conflict between moral

obligations that are difficult to

reconcile and require moral

reasoning.

Ethical Dilemma:

Background: Review the history, background, and details of the situation

Conflict: Describe the conflict and the ethical dilemma you observe

Outcome: Identify the possible decisions and probable outcomes generated by each decision

Impact: List the impact of each outcome on people’s lives. Weigh: Weigh and compare all decisions and their possible

outcomes. Decide: Decide and defend your decision.http://www.swlearning.com/swepstuff/previews/files/careerreadiness/0538726164/ethics_ch01.pdf

Decision Making Model for ethical dilemmas

You’re working as a HUC for a large hospital which awards $1000 a year to the selected HUC of the year. You’ve worked there for many years and have never been chosen. Your evaluations are always excellent and you are the go to person when another HUC has questions. The selection process is done by ballots. HUCs, nurses, and doctors are able to vote. You work with some really great HUCs, but Cindy is pretty popular and the doctors really like her, however you know that she often neglects her work and tends to perform “favors” for her supervisor and even some of the doctors during work and after. Your hospital has a reputation for being the area’s hospital of choice because of the excellent care given to patients and employees are happy because they believe they matter. One day, you over hear some doctors talking about Cindy and the upcoming HUC of the year vote. They know the prize amount and know she could really use the money because of some outstanding medical bills for her 2 year old. They devise a plan to ensure she receives the most votes. Cindy is chosen as the HUC of the year. What do you do?

Ethical Dilemma “Cindy”

Ethical dilemma “Karen”

James is a HUC who has been given the responsibility of maintaining the time and attendance records for all the HUCs on the surgical units. There are a total of 11 HUCs for both day and night shift. Because tardiness and absentees are taken very seriously at your hospital, one point is given for each tardy and two points are given for each absence. When a total of 12 are received in a year, the employee is fired. James can be a little obnoxious, and anal retentive and the majority of the HUCs don’t care for him especially since he’s been given this privilege. He’s a relatively good worker otherwise. Karen has been experiencing some serious medical problems that have caused her to miss a lot of work thus placing an extra burden on her co-workers to cover her shifts. She’s a single mother with one child in daycare. You are aware of her situation and you sympathize with her. She’s been working at the hospital for 3 years and before she became ill, her work was exceptional. She laments to you that she’s only one point away from being fired which would be devastating since that’s the only way she can afford her health insurance. You are aware that James has accepted money in exchange for removing points. What do you do?

If you are ever tempted to do the wrong thing, pause and think. Think about the long-term ramifications to yourself and to the company for which you work.

Doing the Right Thing

Makes you a valuable employee

Helps you deal with difficult situations

We can be an example to others

Helps you know yourself

Helps you achieve your goals

So, why is ethics important for HUCs?

Who do I think I am?

What do I believe is important in life?

How do I relate to (get along with) others?

Why do I believe the things that I do?

Part I – Purpose – Why am I writing this?

Part II – Aspirations ( your best self)

Part III – Why I Hold the Personal Expectations I Do

Thank you for your attention, Questions?

How do you want to be remembered?