Professionalism

Important Terms

Column 1: Person or Population. Select individuals and groups of individuals from the book.

· Vulnerable. The quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally

· Population. A group of people with common characteristics (e.g., sex, race and ethnicity, educational attainment, family income, disability status, and geographic location)

Column 2: Stereotype, Bias, Equity Issue, and/or Ethical Challenges. Explain how this makes the patient’s health and wellness vulnerable.

· Stereotype. widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing

· Bias. prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair:

· Equity Issue. Systemic disparities in health between groups with different levels of underlying social advantage/disadvantage (e.g., wealth, power, or prestige).

· Ethical Dilemma. a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two courses of action, either of which entails transgressing a moral principle

Column 3: Contributing Factors. Explain the internal and external factors that contribute to this vulnerability (e.g., personal characteristics, values, cultural beliefs, and/or social determinants of health.

· Characteristics. Qualities or features that belong to a person.

· Values. A. person's principles or standards of behavior; one's judgment of what is important in life.

· Cultural Beliefs. A set of behavioral patterns related to thoughts, manners and actions, which members of society (or group) have shared and passed on to succeeding generations (cohorts).

· Structural Racism. Racism embedded in laws and regulations of a society or organization.

· Social Determinants of Health. Conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age ; these circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels.

Henrietta Lacks Signature Assignment

Each group will explore a theme from the book Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks related to health inequity and/or an ethical dilemma. After the instructor assigned each group a theme, the groups will work to develop a class presentation. You are encouraged to slightly edit the template provided to include graphic and photos, but make sure the presentation is easy to follow (e.g., visually clear with bullet points, not paragraphs). Students will present their theme to the class; all members are expected to participate in the presentation. The grading rubric is in the course syllabus. Each presentation should contain the following information.

1. Explain and Evaluate the Theme.

c. Equity Issues. Explain the contributing factors of the theme/issues, how it affects health and wellness, and the challenges with resolving it.

d. Ethical Dilemma. Explain the two sides of the difficult choice describing pros and cons of taking action towards either side.

e. Use examples two (2) from the book to support your explanation, if applicable.

2. Present Day Equity Issues and/or Ethical Dilemmas.

a. Search for media articles about a similar issue/dilemma in healthcare/research since 2012. Find at least two (2) examples. Include a photo to provide a visual illustration. Provide the citation in the references section of the template.

b. Provide a brief description of the article, the issue it discusses, and how this current event is similar to the theme in the book.

3. Describe the Role of the Nurse

a. Describe the role of the nurse when faced with this issue, including responsibility to the profession and the patient?

b. Describe how nurses can use the resources available to them to resolve the issue. (You learned about these resources all throughout the semester - e.g., ethical frameworks, Nursing Code of Ethics, Standards of Practice, regulations, quality and safety, etc.)?

c. What additional factors support the ability of any professional nurse to speak up (student nurse, nursing student, experienced nurse).