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What Do I Do? What Do I Say?

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Real Life Ethics.

  • As a discussion leader of a group, you notice a student with whom you have had an unresolved conflict during the past year.  You have strong feelings and reactions to seeing this individual.
    • The principle most applicable to this situation is principle number 7. This principle states that one must “continue to deal appropriate(ly) when working with persons for whom you feel some aversion.” Personally, I would be as professional as possible in this situation. I would hide and mask my feelings and continue with my designated tasks. If, at the end, I still feel bothered by the situation, I would ask that individual if we could talk about this conflict in private. In this situation, I believe that principle 5 also comes into play. Principle 5 states that one must “show respect and dignity for other individuals.” Even though I have a conflict with this individual, it does not constitute my right to show him/her any less respect than anyone else who is in the room. If, our conflict can not be resolved after privately meeting, I would nonetheless continue to treat this person in a civil, respectable, and professional way.
  • You are interacting with a person who has a political or moral viewpoint that differs from yours. You find this viewpoint reprehensible, although it could be understood as acceptable based upon this student’s culture and value system. You want to argue a different point of view.
    • The principle most applicable to this situation is principle number 5: one must “show respect and dignity for other individuals.” I feel that this type of situation occurs quite often due to the fact that every person is different, causing everyone to have different ideals and political standings. One must learn to hear what people have to say and not become instantly aggravated when what they hear is not in line with their views. Everyone has the right to express what they believe. One must learn to retain their emotions and not argue with individuals. Here is where I believe principle 6 comes into play; one must “understand [their] own personal bias and avoid imposing this bias on others.” We all have our own way of thinking. It is not right of us to tell people that their beliefs are wrong, for what is right depends on the eyes of the beholder. When it comes down to it, people have to learn to respect others and their beliefs, regardless to whether they agree with them to not.

Ethics Statement

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When I worked with my peers we discussed this to be an accurate ethics statement:

Through professionalism we will construct a society that will nurtured and sustained by the responsibility of those who were chosen to enforce rules and facilitate in the case that new ones ned to be made.

What to do in a Risky Situation

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You are attracted to a person you have been interested in tutoring.

The principles I would apply to this situation would be Principles 3,5,7,8. I would apply these principles because they are about those you have attraction to and this scenario deals with that concept specifically.  While these situations are difficult to handle none can be dealt with the same. There is also no real way to handle the situation, I would handle it as an educator you have to put the other over yourself. If you jeopardize their chances you are doing no one a favor and have to let it slide. If you were to follow through the consequences would be a dismantling of that relationship.

 

As a discussion leader of a group, you noticed a student that you have an unresolved conflict during the past year. You have some strong feelings and reactions to seeing them

The principles I would use when confronting this situation would be Principles 12, 11, 9, 7, and 5. When dealing with this situation you need to realize that if people see you as a leader they may mimic you, destroying the reputation of the individual that you have conflict with. If the conflict is to great you may have to step down or ask to be put on a different project, because once you remove that tension the project will run much smother. When performing a follow up towards this kind of scenario you have to be gentle yet strait forward. Once the problem is acknowledged people are more likely to open up and discuss the results.

 

 

 

Ethics Statment

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I am lucky that in my current position as a student assistant, this is not the first time I am having a discussion on ethics in a peer mentor situation. During training this was something that we went over quite a bit. The definitions that were given to us are aspects that I agree with so much that I would put them into my own statement of ethics.

Integrity-Firm Adherence to a code, An unimpaired condition, the quality or state of being complete and undivided

Within that is broken down even more. It is at all times showing character, honesty, and making appropriate choices.  It is showing a  commitment to act in a socially responsible way, that takes in the feelings of others and how actions can have an impact on the greater whole.

To me acting ethically, especially in any kind of leadership role, is part of the CI way. Which is at times a seemingly ambiguous and amorphous statement. But if you go to CI you understand. Its almost just what you do. Its being integrity and excellence. Its doing your best to be your best.

AND all of those sound easy. Saying it is easy. Acting ethically is hard. It can be tough choices and working hard not to make dumb mistakes. Its not using power or accesses for personal gain. Which even in peer leadership positions is possible. People can tell you private things or you could have access to private data-grades or even financial records.  That kind of informational power could and some peoples cases does corrupt. And resources and time when I am at work belong to serving the students. Especially in a paid position like mine where my salary comes from student fees.

My statement of ethics is to follow what I was taught, from even when I what in elementary school character counts-Honesty, Respect, Fairness, Responsibility, Caring and using resources wisely. To what I have learned though trainings and experience (see above).

When to Speak and not to Speak-That is the Question

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Ethics-A trickier subject is difficult to find.  UNFORTUTELY, one reason ethics is so hard is that it is so important. As a leader or someone with authority ethics become even more exponentially critical. Leaders without ethics are how we get cults and genocide in my opinion. (Yes, that is an extreme but I am using it to illustrate a point).

Ethics take thought and practice, like many other things in life.  This is a good avenue for both.  I have chosen to scenarios out of the book Students Helping Students and then will discuss what I hope my response would be, (because practice like this helps you prepare for situations, but you can never really know until you are in them), and what ethical principles it touches on.

1

“you are talking with a student who describes having taken part in an activity that, if caught, would probably be a felony. This person says this rather casually and even asserts rather boldly that nothing of consequence ‘happened’”.

This relates to principle 10 to take responsible action if learning about an illegal behavior. I think I would report it to my supervisor first if it happened on a shift. If not I would talk with a the campus police, but ask that my supervisor support me when I do this. I could also do this though an anonymous tip. However I think that doing it directly or though the supervisor would be more responsible and fair. Especially if it was a felony, which may mean someone got hurt.  This could mean a loss of relationship with the individual, or even retaliatory harassment. And if a case was made out of my statement there would be legalities I would have to do. However I think that the risk should be worth it.

2

“As a discussion leader in a group, you notice a student with whom you have had un unresolved conflict during the past year. You have some strong feelings and reactions to seeing this individual.”

 

This deals with principle 7-continue to deal appropriately when working with someone you have some aversion for. And with Principle 9-managing your emotional response. I am not going to lie. This would be a difficult situation for me. However, what I think I would do is 2 parts. One I might have a conversation with that person just to say that while we have issues, lets do this project professionally and deal with our issues later. Or I might just treat him/her with professional detachment. Not mean or rude, but fair. Just try and act like they are just another person in the group. The fall out could come if the other person does not agree to be professional or if the other person starts something. If a conflict happens, I might have to step down from a leadership role.

Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement

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Aortic valve replacement continues to be rejected in patients over 75 years of age and who have severe cases of aortic stenosis. This procedure is considered far too risky, with poor health outcomes (Rozeik et al., 2014). However, technological advancements have made it possible to revolutionize the placement of an aortic valve, which is generally performed under open heart surgery, to a less invasive procedure. The transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure allows for a valve to be placed percutaneously and makes it possible to avoid open heart surgery altogether (AHA, 2014). Similarly to stent placement, TAVR replaces the old valve through a catheter without having to remove the old one (AHA, 2014). Once the new valve  expands, it pushes the old leaflets out of the way and begins to take over as follows:

Although the procedure is currently only FDA approved to use in high risk patients with severe aortic stenosis, it is incredible to know that there is now a solution for those who were previously denied treatment. Technological advancements continue to revolutionize both the science and art of medicine. Although the procedure is not free of possible complications, it does have a shorter recovery period (3-5 days) as compared to the alternative open heart surgery (AHA, 2014). In one case, a high risk patient with severe aortic stenosis previously turned down by a multitude of surgeons underwent TAVR and immediately saw a transvalvular pressure gradient decrease of 24 mm Hg and a 3% improvement in ejection fraction indicating promising outcomes (Rozeik et al., 2014). Although this procedure continues to be performed in selective facilities, it is promising to know that one of our own local community hospitals, Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center, is currently pioneering it (Los Robles Hospital). I look forward to witnessing and taking part in the revolution of medicine that technology has allowed us to have!

References:
Rozeik, M.M., Wheatly, D.J., Gourlay, T. (2014). The aortic valve: structure, complications and implicationsfor transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Perfusion, 29 (4), 285-300.

American Heart Association. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/More/HeartValveProblemsandDisease/What-is-TAVR_UCM_450827_Article.jsp

Los Robles Hospital. Retrieved from http://losrobleshospital.com/service/transcatheter-aortic-valve-replacement-procedure

 

 

 

 

 

Newest ATI updates

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Hello. I wanted to update you regarding a few items.

First, the ATI comprehensive Med-Surg test was not on your individual profiles for ATI. I have contacted the ATI representative and gotten that sorted out. I do not want to overload you with test-taking, but I will be assigning the comprehensive Med-Surg practice test A for homework the week after the exam.

Second, the ATI proctored comprehensive med-surg exam has been scheduled April 29 130-3 pm in Ojai 1952 and 1372. This will impact our neurology content a bit that day, but I will keep you updated on any schedule changes as we move forward with content. Happy studying!

 

 

Statement of Ethics

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During this brain storming activity I found the ideas of ethics we discussed were similar to many of the principles we read about in chapter 10. Here is a list of ideas

  1. Integrity(honesty)
  2. Knowing your limits of expertise
  3. Demonstrating leadership being a Role model
  4. Acting appropriately to people you may find attractive
  5. Relate or include yourself as a part of the mentees environment
  6. If you don’t know how to carry out an extreme situation consult with supervisor
  7. Act responsibly when hearing something that may endanger you or others
  8. Respect others privacy such as personal information they may share

Peer Educator Ethics

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  • You are talking with a student who describes having taken part in an activity that, if caught, would probably be a felony. The persons says this rather casually and even asserts rather boldly that nothing of consequence “happened.”

The principles applicable to this situation include principle ten, principle three, and principle one. Principle ten because as a peer educator I need to take responsible action when hearing about illegal behavior, in this situation there is illegal behavior. Principle three because if I am doubting myself on my ability to handle the situation I need to consult with my supervisor immediately in order to properly carry out the situation. Last Principle one because I have to be careful in crossing my limits and training on how to respond to such a situation.

  1. Describe some different ways for dealing with each situation

One different way of dealing with this situation I feel not just confronting the students and laying down the foundation of norms and consequences but, reaching out to the student as a role model. Explain to the student that such activity is not worth jeopardizing the opportunities they have, relate to them with struggles you’ve dealt with similar. Explain that they are “here” for a reason and that is not the direction they need to take for they’ve worked hard to get where they are at. Give the student a change of perception they can feed off of, illuminate a brighter path for them.

2.What are the consequences of possible follow-up actions?

If the student continues such behavior as a peer educator I feel it is my duty to report this activity to the highest level of expertise in order to carry out the right consequences. The student will be reported.

  • You are very attracted to a person you have tutored in the past couple of weeks, you would really like to ask that person out. You are looking for a “go between” friend to check out the situation for a “yes” or “no” interest without having to directly ask the other party.

The principles applicable to this situation include Principle five, Principle eight and Principle nine. Principle five because even thought you were to find someone very attractive it is still your obligation to show respect and dignity to not just the person you find attractive but other individuals around them as well. Principle eight I feel the most important in this situation I also feel it has correlation with principle five. Principle eight elaborates acting appropriately when working with someone you find attractive, this can compromise your job or position as a peer leader. Principle nine because knowing the emotions of the person your attracted to can compromise your well being. She/he may tell you things that you feel deeply and affect your ability to perform.

  1. Describe some different ways for dealing with each situation

I feel the best way to deal with this situation is to put your job or leadership position before your desires or attractions. I feel you can still get to know that person and be friends, you should always show respect for that person and serve as a role model. Plus it would give you time to get to know that person, your first priority is to serve as a peer educator.

2.What are the consequences of possible follow-up actions?

Some consequences of pursuing that person your attracted to may result in release from your leadership position. You may lose your credibility to serve as a peer educator. Also you may end up messing up your relationship with this person.

 

Ethics

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I chose the second bullet scenario which has to do with seeing another student in which I have unresolved conflict with.

Principals 5 – Show respect and dignity for other individuals, 6- Understand your own personal bias and avoid imposing this bias on others, and 7- Continue to deal appropriately when working with persons whom you feel some aversion are the most applicable in this situation because no matter what you should always treat other with respect,  whatever is going on between me and another student/student leader is between us and I should not give a bias opinion to another student about the student I am having conflict with, and whether the other person and I do not like it, we have to work together in order to accomplish a common goal/task.

Some different ways in dealing with this situation is to always act appropriate with this other person, or to try and talk to this person about how we can resolve whatever the situation is, because sometimes people just need a good talk to realize that the person they have conflict with is not an enemy and can actually end up having a lot in common and turn out be friends or really great friends.

Some consequences of follow up actions are just not coming up with a resolution and just making things worse than they were before.

The second scenario I chose was if I was attracted to person I have tutored and I asked for a “go between” friend to see if he had interest in me as well.

Principles 8- Act appropriately when working with persons for whom you feel attraction and 9- Knowing and managing my emotional response, while helping another, is crucial to your own well-being and to your ability to help, because sometimes you cannot deny feelings but knowing how manage those emotions is very important.

Some different ways of dealing with this situation is by really thinking through all the different possibilities that can come from either a.) getting together or b.) just maintaining the relationship  we already have.

Some consequences could be getting together, not working out and then ruining the relationship in which we initially had.