Overarching themes

One of the overarching themes throughout the semester has been that of providing a caring response to patients/clients in our working with them as future professionals. The many detailed scenarios we have reviewed and the ethical models, framework and concepts we have studied ultimately have a goal to prepare us to work ethically and morally within the framework of the formal laws and regulations and less formal guidelines and principles guiding our professionals as health, fitness and wellness professionals. As we have see time and time again, answers and responses to many situations are not always black and white, but require us to have a sound professional compass - utilizing professional resources, guidelines and good judgment in decision making to provide a caring response when faced with an ethical dilemma. Throughout the course the six-step process for making ethical decisions and arriving at a caring response laid out in chapter 5 of the textbook by Purtilo and Dougherty has been used. You are being presented with a situational case study in which an ethical dilemma exists - you are asked to demonstrate your understanding of and ability to apply the six-step process to analyze the situation at hand. Complete instructions for analyzing one of the case studies provided and preparing your written report using the six-step process are included below. Getting Started: x You will need to use Chapter 5 and any subsequent chapters of the Purtilo and Dougherty textbook, as applicable to complete your analysis and paper. x Two case studies are provided to you at the end of these instructions on a page of its own. Select one of the case studies of your choice and review the case study carefully. x Reflect on the case study you choose and the six-steps for ethical decision making and a caring response to develop your ideas for each of the six steps and respond to the prompts below. Writing Your Report - Content: Your report should contain the following main sections: an introduction, body of your paper including your six-step analysis and conclusion. Please keep in mind: you should use specific examples from the case study whenever applicable and appropriate to make your point. Be specific in your statements, references to any textbook materials and uses of information from the case study. Introduction to your report (~1-2 paragraphs) – provide a brief introduction to your report including: x The purpose of the report to include: x What is an ethical dilemma? x A brief introduction to the case you selected and what it is about this case that presents and ethical dilemma for the professional. x What is a caring response and how does the 6-step process help you arrive at one? DUE Monday, December 17th @11:59pm Upload your Final Paper to the Dropbox titled: “Paper 3: 6-Step Analysis” I do not accept late submissions. You may want to consider starting early, backing up your work Six-Step Analysis (3-5 pages) - Using the information provided in the case study, analyze the situation step-by-step. For each step use the description and purpose of each step to guide you. Use the questions and guidelines in chapter 5 of the textbook along with the following notes to guide your analysis. Step 1: x What is the importance for gather information in providing a caring response? x What is the relevant information? What sources would you get this information from? Identify at least 3 types of information you think would help you analyze the situation. x What are questions you would ask as you read the scenario and why these questions? Identify at least 5 questions you would ask. Step 2: x Review the types of ethical dilemmas presented in class - does this scenario fit into a specific type of dilemma? Or seem close to one if not quite exact? Why do you think this - describe examples from the case study to support your conclusion. Step 3: x Review the ethical approaches and concepts presented in chapters class - what specific approach or approaches you think are most applicable or relevant in the current case study? Why do you think this? Step 4: x What is the importance for generating alternative ideas and solutions ahead of time? What are some features of high-quality brainstorming of ideas? x Use your imagination to generate several alternatives for the case study at hand. Identify at least 3 quality alternatives and describe them. x Which alternative that you listed do you think is best for the situation and why? Step 5: x Once a course of action has been decided upon, it is not always easy to put into action. Using the alternative you thought was best from Step 4 above, identify: x Two things that could be impediments to (or get in the way) of you acting to follow through, and x Two steps you could take to encourage or insure that you do take action. x Why would someone fail to take action after putting in all the work to get to step 5 in this process? Step 6: x Since this case study will not actually see an actionable ending, you are not able to actually reflect upon and evaluate your process, action and outcome. Do describe the following: x What is the importance of or usefulness of self-evaluation as step 6? x Consider your future profession specifically: x Are there self or peer-evaluation methods in place (e.g., rounds, reviews, observations, mentors) to formally facilitate evaluation of your decision making processes? Or will you be responsible for conducting self-evaluation on your own? Conclusion (~1 paragraph) - provide a brief conclusion to your report including x What you learned from doing this analysis. x In a real-life situation, what would be the most difficult step and why do you think this? x What can you use from this analysis in your future profession? Writing Your Report – Formatting Your final report should meet the following formatting requirements: x Your report should be between 4-6 pages and include a title page. No reference page or inline citations are necessary for this paper because you are using only the textbook and provided case study. The body of writing should include an introduction, content as outlined above with appropriate transitions between ideas and a conclusion. No pages beyond the 6th page will be graded. You should practice being clear, complete and succinct in your writing. x Your paper should be double-spaced, 11 or 12-point Arial or Times New Roman font. Your document must be submitted as a Microsoft Word (.doc or docx) document or another editable format. No .pdf documents will be accepted. I make comments and grade papers using editing and tracking tools, so I need to be able to open, edit and save your document. x The name of your document must conform to the following format: YOUR NAME_KIN400_Paper 3.docx (example: Laura Rooney_KIN400_Paper 3). 2.5 points will be automatically deducted from your grade if this formatting is not followed. x Your paper should be reviewed and edited prior to submission including proofreading and spellchecking. I will deduct points for misspellings, typos, grammatical errors and word choice and writing style that is not consistent with a professional, academic essay. x Remember it is incumbent upon the writer to convey information and content clearly and lead the reader through the report. Make sure to reread (or better yet, have someone else read it) your paper from the perspective of someone who is knowledgeable about ethics, but may not know your professional aspirations, personal stories or perspective. Do not assume your reader knows more than your reader knows. x A grading rubric for your paper is included below for your reference. Remember grading rubrics are designed to guide your preparation of your paper by indicating what weight I will be placing on various components of the paper and what you should consider Case Study 1: "A woman enters the emergency room with stomach pain. She undergoes a CT scan and is diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a weakening in the wall of the aorta which causes it to stretch and bulge (this is very similar to what led to John Ritter's death). The physicians inform her that the only way to fix the problem is surgically, and that the chances of survival are about 50/50. They also inform her that time is of the essence, and that should the aneurysm burst, she would be dead in a few short minutes. The woman is an erotic dancer; she worries that the surgery will leave a scar that will negatively affect her work; therefore, she refuses any surgical treatment. Even after much pressuring from the physicians, she adamantly refuses surgery. The physicians feel that the woman is not in her correct state of mind and know that time is of the essence to perform surgery successfully." Case Study 2: "Mr. Chen, a 40 year-old patient originally from China, has had lumbar problems for one year. The condition includes dull pain in his right leg and the inability to sit still for long periods. X-ray examination reveals a prolapsed lumbar disc. He has been treated with conventional pain medication with minimal effect. His physician, Dr. Robert Olson, recommends back surgery, but Mr. Chen is reluctant to take this option. Instead, he asks the doctor to refer him to an acupuncturist because his insurance coverage requires physician's approval for "alternative" therapy. He mentions to the physician that he has tried acupuncture before, and it has helped him. But Dr. Olson is skeptical about any kind of alternative therapy. This derives partly from his belief that allopathic medicine, the approach taught in Western medical schools, is the most efficacious because it has been scientifically proven through clinical trials. He has also had extensive positive experience with surgical treatment for Mr. Chen’s condition. In his view, other forms of medicine are at best placebos. This case illustrates a common scenario in doctors’ offices. Many patients seek alternative therapies because conventional medicine has not brought them satisfaction."