Running head: Essential VIII 1

e-Portfolio – Essential VIII: Professionalism and professional values

Angèle C. Wright

Frostburg State University

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ESSENTIAL VIII

e-Portfolio – Essential VIII: Professionalism and professional values

Essential VIII strives to explain how the nurse can help the patient achieve their health-

oriented goals through the use of a professional relationship. The values used to describe

Essential VIII are altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social justice (AACN, 2008,

pp. 27-28). The baccalaureate trained nurse will assume accountability of continuous

professional and personal development, identify and set aside any personal biases that may

conflict with the patient’s belief system, and effectively solve any care-related dilemmas with

other members of the patient’s healthcare team. Additionally, the baccalaureate-trained nurse

must behave in a fashion that upholds a positive image of the nursing profession to the

community-at-large.

Exemplar

The Hot Topic assignment seeks to expose the nursing student to contemporary

dilemmas. Through exploration of both sides of the arguments, the baccalaureate nurse

possesses a better understanding of the questions that perennially exist in the grey areas between

right and wrong. Once enriched with this information, the nurse can then help the patient

navigate through the murky ethical waters and arise to a decision that best matches the patient’s

needs. This assignment also helps the nurse understand their own personal bias and allows them

to appropriately compartmentalize their beliefs in order to compassionately help their patient

while maintaining the appropriate professional boundaries.

Reflection

Assisted suicide continues to separate society on many ethical planes. Whether one

supports or opposes the concept of assisted suicide, as a nurse, one must be able to put aside
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ESSENTIAL VIII

one’s personal feelings in order to provide therapeutic and professional care to the patient and

their families. The professional nurse must also engage in continuous learning and evidence-

based care as well as maintain a respectful, empathetic, and ethical relationship with a diverse

patient population. During the course of the Hot Topic assignment, the nurse seeks to better

understand the history of as well as the current debates surrounding assisted suicide. Armed

with this knowledge, the nurse can better “assist patients with decision-making about end-of-life

concerns within the context of the patient’s value system” (AACN, 2008, p. 28). Finally,

through the exploration of this exemplar and the possession of self-awareness, the nurse can now

see how understanding assisted suicide further reinforces and ultimately demonstrates the values

that define the professional nurse: altruism, autonomy, human dignity, integrity, and social

justice (AACN, 2015, pp. 27-28).

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ESSENTIAL VIII

References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2008, October 20). The essentials of

baccalaureate education. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/education-

resources/BaccEssentials08.pdf.

Pozgar, G. (2016). Legal and ethical issue for health professionals. (4th Ed.). Burlington, MA:

Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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ESSENTIAL VIII

Appendix A

LOST AT SEA INDIVIDUAL WORKSHEET

Name: Angèle Wright

Instructions:

You have chartered a yacht with three friends, for the holiday trip of a lifetime across the
Atlantic Ocean. Because none of you has any previous sailing experience, you have hired an
experienced skipper and two-person crew.

Unfortunately, while in the mid-Atlantic, a fierce fire breaks out in the ships galley and the
skipper and crew have been lost whilst trying to fight the blaze. Much of the yacht has been
destroyed and is slowly sinking.

Your location is unclear because vital navigational and radio equipment have been damaged in
the fire. Your best estimate is that you are many hundreds of miles from the nearest landfall.

You and your friends have managed to save 15 items, undamaged and intact after the fire. In
addition, you have salvaged a four man rubber life craft and a box of matches.

Your task is to rank the fifteen items that follow in terms of their importance to your survival.
Place the number 1 by the most important item, the number 2 by the second most important, and
so on through number 15, the least important. Also list your reason (what you will use this for).

Sextant: Rank: 14. Rationale: navigational tool but requires a map or navigational chart of
some sort to plot location.

Shaving mirror: Rank: 2. Rationale: Signal light to indicate location to potential rescuers,
break mirror to use shards as utility knife

Five-gallon can of water: Rank: 1. Use(s): drinking water, use receptacle to hold collected rain
water for drinking water purposes

Mosquito netting: Rank: 12. Rationale: fishing net

One case of U.S. Army C rations: Rank: 3. Rationale: food.

Maps of the Pacific Ocean: Rank: 15. Rationale: not important, currently in Atlantic Ocean

Seat cushion (flotation device approved by the Coast Guard): Rank: 8. Rationale: safety

Two-gallon can of oil-gas mixture: Rank: 4. Rationale: signal light, light source in dark
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ESSENTIAL VIII

Small transistor radio: Rank: 13. Rationale: Too far from landfall to pick up signal.

Shark repellent: Rank: 9. Rationale: safety/repel sharks away from the rubber raft

Twenty square feet of opaque plastic: Rank: 5. Collect rain water for future water
consumption, shelter during day.

One quart of 160-proof Puerto Rican rum: Rank: 10. Rationale: medicinal purposes

Fifteen feet of nylon rope: Rank: 6. Rationale: strap oil-gas mixture to raft; use to keep things
together & strap to the raft.

Two boxes of chocolate bars: Rank: 7. Rationale: glucose/food

Fishing kit: Rank: 11. Rationale: backup food source

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ESSENTIAL VIII

Appendix B

Air Crash

The Scenario

A small aircraft crashes in the shark infested waters of the Pacific Ocean. There is damage to the
aircraft on impact with the water, which causes the electronic systems within to be damaged. The
resulting radio failure means that no mayday message can be sent.

Of the sixteen passengers on the plane, there are nine survivors. The location of the crash is
approximately one and a half days from the nearest land. The life raft on one side of the airplane
can be used; however, there is only room for four persons in it.

The following are the details of the nine survivors:

1 'Ace' Browning. Ace was the pilot at the time of the crash and it was his expertise, which
landed the aircraft in one piece, enabling it to float. 'Ace' received his pilot training and
nickname when he was in the Air force. He is the son of an Air Vice-Marshall and a decorated
Gulf veteran. He is a keen golfer and collects theatre memorabilia. Recently, there has been some
concern amongst his colleagues that he is showing signs of a drinking problem. He is one of a
team of volunteer pilots who carry out mercy missions, which drop food and medical aid in
places of crises.

2 Geoff McGraw. Geoff was returning from a medical conference where he gave a paper on
"Re-building Facial Features Following Accidents". He is a recent divorcee with four grown up
children. At 57, he owns a plastic surgery clinic in California from which he has made a
considerable fortune. Geoff has established a charitable program that helps children with facial
injuries. His hobbies include collecting vintage cars, deep sea fishing.

The Butler family - James, Patience and Prudence

3 James Butler is a 40 year old church minister. He has been a missionary in Papua New Guinea
for the past 15 years. He is keen to take up the challenge of a new post in Haiti, but has not
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ESSENTIAL VIII

discussed the move with his wife, Patience, as he is aware that she is anxious to return to the UK
and start a career. He is also torn by the wish to spend more time with his two older children.
James' hobbies are bridge and fishing.

4 Patience Butler (35) did a lot of voluntary work whilst in Papua New Guinea. She established
a youth club which developed skills such as orienteering and home crafts in young people. For
many years, Patience has wanted to start a career; she has the manuscript of a first book that she
intends to take to a publisher. Her book explores issues relating to helping indigenous peoples
and their way of life survive the 21st century. She has three children.

5 Prudence Butler. Prudence Butler, an epileptic, was travelling from Papua New Guinea to
London with her parents at the time of the accident. She is a very intelligent 10-year-old girl and
shows great talent at music and languages. She has two siblings, a fourteen-year-old brother and
a 12 year old sister who are both at boarding school in the UK. Prudence did not want to take
time out of school for this trip but her father felt that it was important that she visit her brother
and sister.

6 Donald Heap. Donald Heap is a 45-year-old married man with two children. He is the
Conservative member for Happiburgh and currently resides on the backbench following a brief,
but very public period as Junior Minister in the Department for Defence. Donald resigned from
this position because of a scandal involving insider dealing. Donald is a self-made man, having
made his fortune in sports clothing. He is an Olympic medallist in track events and used his
worldwide reputation as a sportsman in marketing his goods. His hobbies include sailing, squash,
and growing hothouse orchids.

7 Sam Comfort. Sam is a 29-year-old nurse and a member of Greenpeace. He abandoned plans
to marry three years ago and took up a post as Nursing Officer at an Antarctic research station
where he carried out work on hypothermia. He got on very well with the rest of the team at the
research station and would like to renew his contract and return there. Sam is a very gifted
musician; he plays the violin and enjoys swimming and badminton.

8 Professor Mu Chado. Professor Chado has been Professor of Microbiology at the University
of Barkington for the past 10 years. He has developed an antibody to the HIV virus that has
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ESSENTIAL VIII

proved successful in combating illness in experimental animals. He is 60 years old and a

bachelor. He was physically disabled when he was 30 in a riding accident and has since then
been confined to a wheelchair. His hobbies include watercolour painting

9 Philippa Lowes-Harrington. Philippa Lowes-Harrington is a Performance Director in the

energy industry. She is a 50-year-old married woman with no children. Philippa spent 12 years in
the army and retired at the age of 30 at the rank of Captain. Her hobbies include skiing and
collecting objet d'art. She has been involved in negotiations where the Victoria and Albert
Museum acquired a number of valuable pieces of British art from Japan and the United State.
Currently she is the Chair of a working group that is considering how art may be used to improve
inner-city environments. Philippa has recently been diagnosed as HIV positive.

Four Choices and Rationale:

8. Professor Mu Chado has isolated or developed an antibody successful in combating HIV in

experimental animals. I want to give him the opportunity to continue his research and make
strides in the battle against HIV.

4. Patience Butler: If the Butler family were to perish, then the two surviving children would
become orphans. In an effort to avoid this, I decided to save one parent. I also saw value in
saving Mrs. Butler because she spent her adult life supporting her husband’s dreams, so by
allowing her to live, I am giving Mrs. Butler a second chance to achieve her purpose.

5. Prudence Butler: I did not feel comfortable leaving a child to die. Although her true value is
yet to be determined due to her young age, her current abilities lead me to believe that she can
eventually add value to society if given the chance.

1. Ace Browning, Mr. Browning is a proven leader; his skills lead to the survival of most on
the plane following the initial crash. His military background and navigational skills would
make him the de facto leader of the four man team and assist them to safety.

Ethical Viewpoint/Framework and Rationale from Text Context:

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ESSENTIAL VIII

I used a combination of two ethical viewpoints to determine who was placed on the raft. The
Unitarian framework states that some may be sacrificed if it serves the greater good for the
greatest number (Pozgar, 2016). It is within this framework that I choose Professor Mu Chado
and Ace Browning to be saved. Mu Chado’s current research focuses on a HIV vaccine and
Ace’s expertise and leadership skills offers the best chance for the Professor to be saved.

I decided to save Patience Butler and Prudence Butler within the Consequential Ethics
Framework. In my opinion, the thought of leaving two children orphans affected not only their
current emotional path, but also their potential; affecting the societal value they may possess
upon maturation. Due to Prudence’s age and inexperience, I am unsure of her absolute value. I,
however; believe that it is morally wrong to kill a child, so the action of saving Prudence (or
doing the right thing) supersedes saving someone who is presently more valuable to society
(Pozgar, 2016).

Name:Angèle Wright

References

Pozgar, G. (2016). Legal and ethical issues for health professionals. (4th Ed.). Burlington,

MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning

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ESSENTIAL VIII

Appendix C

LOST AT SEA GROUP WORKSHEET

Name: Amanda Sierra, Angele Wright, Barbara Bedford, Mary Hamil, Yoensil Lisa Yoon

Instructions:

You have chartered a yacht with three friends, for the holiday trip of a lifetime across the
Atlantic Ocean. Because none of you has any previous sailing experience, you have hired an
experienced skipper and two-person crew.

Unfortunately, while in the mid-Atlantic, a fierce fire breaks out in the ships galley and the
skipper and crew have been lost whilst trying to fight the blaze. Much of the yacht has been
destroyed and is slowly sinking.

Your location is unclear because vital navigational and radio equipment have been damaged in
the fire. Your best estimate is that you are many hundreds of miles from the nearest landfall.

You and your friends have managed to save 15 items, undamaged and intact after the fire. In
addition, you have salvaged a four man rubber life craft and a box of matches.

Your task is to rank the fifteen items that follow in terms of their importance to your survival.
Place the number 1 by the most important item, the number 2 by the second most important, and
so on through number 15, the least important. Also list your reason (what you will use this for).

Sextant: Rank 14. Rationale: useless without navigational charts to determine longitude or
latitude.

Shaving mirror: Rank: 1. Rationale: used to signal rescue vessels

Five-gallon can of water: Rank: 2. Rationale: nutrition (to avoid dehydration).

Mosquito netting: Rank: 9. Rationale: no mosquitos found in mid-Atlantic. Can be used as

comfort item or fishing net. Not the most important item, but not completely useless.

One case of U.S. Army C rations: Rank: 3. Rationale: nutrition/food.

Maps of the Pacific Ocean: Rank 15. Rationale: map is of Pacific Ocean, but we are
shipwrecked in the Atlantic Ocean. Maps are meaningless.

Seat cushion (flotation device approved by the Coast Guard): Rank: 8. Rationale: safety item
if someone were to fall overboard.
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ESSENTIAL VIII

Two-gallon can of oil-gas mixture: Rank: 4: Rationale: lit and used as signal light and light
source at night.

Small transistor radio: Rank: 13. Rationale: too far from land to pick up signal.

Shark repellent: Rank: 12. Rationale: not as important. Unsure if it will work consistently
enough to warrant a higher rank.

Twenty square feet of opaque plastic: Rank: 5. Rationale: used to collect rainfall and as shelter
from sun and elements.

One quart of 160-proof Puerto Rican rum: Rank: 10. Rationale: used as antiseptic.

Fifteen feet of nylon rope: Rank: 6. Rationale: use to tether things or people to raft, i.e., oil-gas
can and flotation device.

Two boxes of chocolate bars: Rank: 7. Rationale: secondary source of food.

Fishing kit: Rank: 11. Rationale: too inconsistent to give higher ranking. May not be able to

yield fish.
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ESSENTIAL VIII

Appendix D

Air Crash

The Scenario

A small aircraft crashes in the shark infested waters of the Pacific Ocean. There is damage to the
aircraft on impact with the water, which causes the electronic systems within to be damaged. The
resulting radio failure means that no mayday message can be sent.

Of the sixteen passengers on the plane, there are nine survivors. The location of the crash is
approximately one and a half days from the nearest land. The life raft on one side of the airplane
can be used; however, there is only room for four persons in it.

The following are the details of the nine survivors:

1 'Ace' Browning. Ace was the pilot at the time of the crash and it was his expertise, which
landed the aircraft in one piece, enabling it to float. 'Ace' received his pilot training and
nickname when he was in the Air force. He is the son of an Air Vice-Marshall and a decorated
Gulf veteran. He is a keen golfer and collects theatre memorabilia. Recently, there has been some
concern amongst his colleagues that he is showing signs of a drinking problem. He is one of a
team of volunteer pilots who carry out mercy missions, which drop food and medical aid in
places of crises.

2 Geoff McGraw. Geoff was returning from a medical conference where he gave a paper on
"Re-building Facial Features Following Accidents". He is a recent divorcee with four grown up
children. At 57, he owns a plastic surgery clinic in California from which he has made a
considerable fortune. Geoff has established a charitable program that helps children with facial
injuries. His hobbies include collecting vintage cars, deep sea fishing.

The Butler family - James, Patience and Prudence

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ESSENTIAL VIII

3 James Butler is a 40 year old church minister. He has been a missionary in Papua New Guinea
for the past 15 years. He is keen to take up the challenge of a new post in Haiti, but has not
discussed the move with his wife, Patience, as he is aware that she is anxious to return to the UK
and start a career. He is also torn by the wish to spend more time with his two older children.
James' hobbies are bridge and fishing.

4 Patience Butler (35) did a lot of voluntary work whilst in Papua New Guinea. She established
a youth club which developed skills such as orienteering and home crafts in young people. For
many years, Patience has wanted to start a career; she has the manuscript of a first book that she
intends to take to a publisher. Her book explores issues relating to helping indigenous peoples
and their way of life survive the 21st century. She has three children.

5 Prudence Butler. Prudence Butler, an epileptic, was travelling from Papua New Guinea to
London with her parents at the time of the accident. She is a very intelligent 10-year-old girl and
shows great talent at music and languages. She has two siblings, a fourteen-year-old brother and
a 12 year old sister who are both at boarding school in the UK. Prudence did not want to take
time out of school for this trip but her father felt that it was important that she visit her brother
and sister.

6 Donald Heap. Donald Heap is a 45-year-old married man with two children. He is the
Conservative member for Happiburgh and currently resides on the backbench following a brief,
but very public period as Junior Minister in the Department for Defence. Donald resigned from
this position because of a scandal involving insider dealing. Donald is a self-made man, having
made his fortune in sports clothing. He is an Olympic medallist in track events and used his
worldwide reputation as a sportsman in marketing his goods. His hobbies include sailing, squash,
and growing hothouse orchids.

7 Sam Comfort. Sam is a 29-year-old nurse and a member of Greenpeace. He abandoned plans
to marry three years ago and took up a post as Nursing Officer at an Antarctic research station
where he carried out work on hypothermia. He got on very well with the rest of the team at the
 15
ESSENTIAL VIII

research station and would like to renew his contract and return there. Sam is a very gifted
musician; he plays the violin and enjoys swimming and badminton.

8 Professor Mu Chado. Professor Chado has been Professor of Microbiology at the University
of Barkington for the past 10 years. He has developed an antibody to the HIV virus that has
proved successful in combating illness in experimental animals. He is 60 years old and a
bachelor. He was physically disabled when he was 30 in a riding accident and has since then
been confined to a wheelchair. His hobbies include watercolour painting

9 Philippa Lowes-Harrington. Philippa Lowes-Harrington is a Performance Director in the

energy industry. She is a 50-year-old married woman with no children. Philippa spent 12 years in
the army and retired at the age of 30 at the rank of Captain. Her hobbies include skiing and
collecting objet d'art. She has been involved in negotiations where the Victoria and Albert
Museum acquired a number of valuable pieces of British art from Japan and the United State.
Currently she is the Chair of a working group that is considering how art may be used to improve
inner-city environments. Philippa has recently been diagnosed as HIV positive.

Four Choices and Rationale:

1. Ace Browning: (Votes: 5). Ace is a veteran who does volunteer work. He should be allowed
to return in order to continue to have a positive impact on the lives of those in crisis. His
military background and navigational skills would prove helpful in the rescue effort. His
possible drinking problem did give some pause, but all agreed that his strengths were greater
than that one potential flaw.

7. Sam Comfort: (Votes: 4). Sam is a Registered Nurse who has completed work on
hypothermia. The group saw the potential value his research on hypothermia would have on
society. Sam can also help the others during the rescue effort. No one expressed any concerns
about Sam’s inclusion in the rescue effort.

8. Professor Mu Chado: (Votes: 4). The Professor was chosen due to his work in the fight
against HIV. Although some were concerned how his handicap would affect the rescue effort’s
success, the group as a whole saw his societal contributions overshadow his physical limitations.
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ESSENTIAL VIII

5. Prudence Butler: (Votes: 3). The motivation for choosing Prudence for the 4th seat included
her age and unknown potential. There were concerns that her epilepsy would hinder the rescue
effort but it was overshadowed by the chance for her to impact society in a positive manner.

Ethical Viewpoint/Framework and Rationale from Text Context:

While completing this assignment, the group framed the viewpoint on who would be saved by
the value or contribution they provided to society at large. Those left behind were then
sacrificed for the greater good of society. The text described this method as utilitarian theory of
ethics, or “the moral worth of an action is determined by its outcome, and, thus, the ends justify
the means.” (Pozgar, 2016)

Name: Amanda Sierra, Angele Wright, Barbara Bedford, Mary Hamil, Yoensil Lisa Yoon

References

Pozgar, G. (2016). Legal and ethical issues for health professionals. (4th Ed.). Burlington,
MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning