Moral Dilemma

An example of a moral dilemma in nursing is when a nurse realizes that their colleague is
incompetent. For example, a nurse may realize that the doctor is not giving the right prescription
to the patient, and this means that the patient’s life could be in danger. The nurse has then to
decide the next cause of action. On the one hand, the doctor is a colleague, and reporting them to
the superiors could have an adverse relationship on their friendship as well as professional
relationship. On the other hand, the nurse owes a duty of care to the patient. They must remain
true to this duty and to the oath taken to protect the rights of patients. Nurses are also
expected to advocate on behalf of their patients. To this end, reporting the malpractice is the
correct cause of action.
The virtues that are applicable to this case include courage, honesty, and compassion.
When selecting the best cause of action, the nurse must be courageous enough to take action.
Lack of courage is likely to result in the nurse failing to take any action and letting the
malpractice continue. In addition, the nurse is called to be honest. Honesty means that the nurse
is transparent and is able to point out issues they feel are not right. Honesty also aligns with
integrity, where the patient knows that the nurse wants what’s best for them. The trust between
the nurse and the patient is founded on honesty (Van Dyk et al., 2020). Lack of honesty may
likely erode the trust and result in patient harm. The nurse has to be compassionate to the needs
of the patient. The nurse has to be caring through the actions that they take. The nurse needs to
understand the condition of the patient and must be willing to help to ensure that the patient’s
wellbeing is improved.
Virtues guide the decision-making process and ensure that the decisions made are ethical.
The virtue of courage should be expressed through the nurse being courageous and standing

against all forms of incompetency in the hospital setting. It should also be expressed through the
nurse making the right decision without fearing the possible negative consequences. The virtue
of honesty should be expressed through the nurse seeking to be transparent instead of concealing
the true nature of affairs. On the other hand, the virtue of compassion should be expressed
through the nurse understanding the implications of the actions of the doctor to the patient.
Aristotle’s golden mean states that one must strive to find a balance between two extremes. It
seeks to have a solution that lies in the middle (Niemiec, 2019). In this case, the middle ground is
to talk to the doctor involved and try to ensure that they rectify. The solution ensures that the
nurse remains an advocate of the patient and the rights of the patient are not infringed upon. The
dilemma involves a conflict between loyalty to the patient and loyalty to coworkers and friends.
On one side, a nurse needs to be loyal to the patient through advocating for their
needs. On the other side, a nurse needs to be loyal to the organization as well as colleagues.

References

Niemiec, R. M. (2019). Finding the golden mean: the overuse, underuse, and optimal use of
character strengths. Counselling Psychology Quarterly, 32(3-4), 453-471.
Van Dyk, E. C., Van Rensburg, G. H., & van Rensburg, E. S. J. (2020). Professional virtues
foster trust in teaching and learning environments. International Journal of Africa
Nursing Sciences, 13, 100211.