Peer responses

Respond to two students discussion post. Just type the paragraph under the discussion. It doesn’t have to be in essay form.

Also, make sure that your response(s) are substantial and at least 100 words.  In your responses, you must include connections to course learning objectives. 

Discussion Post #1

Andrea Taylor

Being a healthcare administrator, working in this field is both rewarding and challenging. Many medical procedures and treatments have downsides, and patients have their own circumstances and input to consider. The four principles of healthcare ethics are: autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice.In medicine, autonomy refers to the right of the patient to retain control over his/her own body. A healthcare professional can suggest or advice, but cannot persuade or coerce the patient into making a choice. In the end, the patient must be able to make his or her own decisions- whether or not the medical provider believes these choices are in the best interest of the patient.Beneficence means that a healthcare worker must do all they can to benefit a patient in each situation. All procedures and treatments recommended must be with the intention to do the most good for the patient. To ensure beneficence, medical practitioners must develop and maintain a high level of skill and knowledge, make sure that they are trained in the most current and best medical practices, and must consider their patients’ individual circumstances; what is good for one patient will not necessary benefit another.Non-Maleficence means that medical providers must consider whether other people or society could be harmed by a decision made, even if it is made for the benefit of an individual patient.Justice states that there should be an element of fairness in all medical decisions: fairness in decisions that burden and benefit, as well as equal distribution of scarce resources and new treatments, and for medical practitioners to uphold applicable laws and legislation when making choices.Health care administrators plan, organize, and oversee the functions of the health care facilities at which they work, as well as the other members of the staff who work there, including doctors and nurses. Thus, they play a vital role in ensuring that patients are receiving high quality and ethical treatment.

Discussion #2

Caroline Harbin

According to our course material, “Ethics may be defined simply as 'the social norm.' Or, an internal guiding principle of what is right and wrong. Or, doing no harm. Or, harming the least. Or, helping the most. Or, treating people fairly. Defining ethics is not easy. Ethics is a delicate balance between making choices and emphasizing values - yours, your culture, your profession, society's. We make ethical choices daily: sometimes unconsciously, sometimes we struggle with an ethical dilemma.”

As a professional in any industry, I believe that it is imperative that we consider the concept introduced by Fiddler and Marienau, that we may find our own assumptions, beliefs, and resulting behavior can be adjusted from previous experience. That being said, we must learn to think about what we’re thinking about and develop healthy habits of reflection to ensure that our perspective is informing an accurate reality. The code of ethics for my industry, as an insurance advisor, includes the following:

- A high level of qualification of the profession - Honesty, competence, and financial care - Refraining from accident or not in accordance with fair competition - Relationships with clients characterized by trust and partnership - The baseline for any action is compliance and contractual obligation and the law