Ethical Theories In Nursing

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In the world today, nurses are faced with many ethical issues and dilemmas. Nurses constantly have to make right and wrong decisions and are have to determine what is morally right. At times, nurses have a tendency to develop values and morals related to their personal options. To avoid this issue, it’s important for a nurse to be familiar with ethical theories and concepts so they can determine issues that are relevant today (Butts & Rich, 2013, p. 4). Two ethical theories are utilitarianism and deontology.
A previously learned ethical theory is utilitarianism. Utilitarianism takes into account what is best for the greater good. This theory considers “consequences to be an important indication of the moral value of one’s actions” (Butts & Rich, 2013, p. 20). Providing maximum happiness with the “least amount of harm” is the main concept of utilitarianism (Butts & Rich, 2013, p. 20). An example of utilitarianism in the health care setting would be organ donation. A doctor has just pronounced a child brain dead. This doctor does not want to upset the child’s family …show more content…

Deontology is “focused on duties and rules” (Butts & Rich, 2013, p. 19). Philosopher Immanueal Kant believed that a person is “a rational, autonomous (self -directed) being with the ability to know universal, objective moral laws and the freedom to decide to act morally” (Butts & Rich, 2013, p. 20). In deontology, no matter what emotions one feels they cannot perform an unmoral act. An example of deontology in the health care profession would be treating a known child molester. The nurse taking care of the patient was once molested as a child and is now asked to take care of this patient. As the nurses sense of duty, she is morally accountable for taking care of this patient no matter what her personal beliefs are. By the nurse treating this patient, regardless of her personal preference, she has performed her duty and has acted morally according to

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