Introduction
The issue of ethical leadership is one that may be depicted in numerous ways. The greatest challenge facing the health sector is ethical and moral consideration in undertaking different roles. Nurses and other medical workers alike are required to cope with significant dilemmas at the workplace which may occur from often times. Healthcare organizations require their entire workforce to follow the standards and guidelines provided by governing bodies of their respective professions. An ethical leader is evident by the decision he or she makes as it shows commitment to doing good in terms of social values and the laws that have been set in place. Failure to demonstrate such practice will usually result in poor leadership and negative outcomes for the patient. A leader in particular should demonstrate high levels of ethical practice to influence the subordinates and other members of staff to behave the same way in their interactions with the patient.
Conceptual Frameworks
The nursing environment is one that requires the adherence to ethical, moral, and legal obligations in the numerous operations. The ethical factors of practice identify the acceptable social codes of conduct that professionals should follow in guiding their behavior at the workplace. In this regard, the governing bodies of the profession may institute these ethical rules that professionals should follow (Woods, 2014). Failure to achieve certain standards may result in the withdrawal of one’s license of practice. The moral obligations usually identify the personal beliefs and motivations that a medical practitioner incorporates into everyday practice. The various measures help the individual to effectively carry out their duties as a provider of care to the community (Cianci, Hannah, Roberts, & Tsakumis, 2014). Legal standards are set by the federal, state, and local government. With the advice of experts in the field, these governments will develop appropriate means of practice that ensure the effective provision of care to the patient.
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Ethical Dilemma
I have once found myself working with nursing professionals who fail to incorporate ethical behavior in their objective tasks. It is required that medical practitioners engage in orderly practice where priorities as set in the everyday tasks and the patient will be able to receive the quality care (Cianci et al., 2014). However, in this community hospital, I was surprised to see the lack of organization and the mess in the practice. The professionals in the facility were poor and did not have a uniformed system to attend to the patients (Disch, 2014). This usually occurred due to laziness of the medical workers who in most cases would be found hanging around in the locker rooms or the cafeteria. The patients visiting the hospital would fail to receive the required medical attention and some may have developed the negative outcomes of their illnesses. I remember once that a patient would come to the institution, but after describing his symptoms to the attending nurse he was forced to wait for over an hour to receive medical attention. It was only after speaking to a cardiologist that it was discovered that the patient was suffering a mild heart attack which would have become severe had the patient not received the care when he did.
Moral, ethical, and legal implications
In the practice of nursing care, it is evident that the practice of quick and efficient delivery of care is a basic aspect of ensuring medical treatment. From the moment I walked into that community hospital, I knew that I had a role to play as an advocate for the rights of the patient. It is only through effective performance of tasks that the patient can receive the appropriate care (Disch, 2014). As a moral leader, I can accurately identify that the actions of the nurse practitioners are inappropriate. The nurse leader should take up a large portion of the blame. It is through her administrative role that the subordinates can identify ways of ensuring order in the institution. From a legal perspective, the institution as a whole could be negatively affected by its inconsiderate practice. The organization depends on donor funds to facilitate its continued practice (Disch, 2014). Therefore, negative reputation about the health institution could cause a significant backlash from the donors. The medical workers themselves could be punished by the medical boards and the government for failing to attend to patients causing increased severity of the illness that they could be suffering from. Disorganized practice could lead to making mistakes during delivery of care. A patient’s medical records could easily be mixed up with that of another causing inaccurate diagnosis and improper administration of medication. Such instances are grounds for terminating the medical worker’s contract and license of practice.
My leadership styles
It is evident that my preferred style of leadership in the event of this ethical dilemma is to put to practice autonomy in the workplace in ensuring decision making. While this practice may have resulted in the disorder and lack of control of the in-take in the hospital, it is clear that medical workers should take responsibility over their own tasks (Martin, 2014). The nurse leader should immediately reprimand workers found to be lazing around in the premises while there are multiple patients that have yet to receive medical attention. In this practice, autonomy is the practice that enabled me to attend to the patient who was struggling with breathing and had a severe chest pains (Woods, 2014). It would be my quick action to identify the case as a serious one which turned out to be a mild heart attack. Without autonomy, workers have little motivation to work and feel that they are treated like amateurs.
Decisions to the Dilemma
It is evident that there are multiple means of tackling the dilemma at hand. On the one hand, the health organization should bring in a new leader so as to shake up the normal operations of the institution. Individual health workers will be required to develop new ways of approaching and attending to the workers. In this practice, nurses will be allowed to take breaks during their shift that allows them to ensure quality care and avoid cases of fatigue and breakdown. The organization may also institute a practice that will ensure critical appraisal of the medical workers particularly from the patients and their family members (Cianci et al., 2014). The practice will ensure that nurses and physicians alike take it upon themselves to improve their overall care practices and achieve quality outcomes for their patients.
Summary
I believe in a democratic leadership style as the most appropriate measure of coping with medical workers at the workplace. In this practice, it is evident that the leader in place will delegate the duties that each individual should undertake without failure. However, the practice also means that the workers can achieve significant autonomy in their practice. The nurse leader will require the input of the followers in making significant decisions particularly in appropriate operation style and administration of treatment options (Woods, 2014). The nurse leader will however have the final say in the practice of operations but the individual health workers take responsibility for the treatment options they offer. The essence of autonomy is ensuring that each individual worker can put into practice their knowledge and skills of providing care to the patient.
References
Cianci, A. M., Hannah, S. T., Roberts, R. P., & Tsakumis, G. T. (2014). The effects of authentic leadership on followers' ethical decision-making in the face of temptation: An experimental study. The Leadership Quarterly, 25 (3), 581–594. DOI: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.12.001
Disch, J. (2014). Using Evidence-Based Advocacy to Improve the Nation's Health. Nurse Leader, 12 (4), 28–31. DOI: 10.1016/j.mnl.2014.05.003
Martin, M. B. (2014). Transcultural Advocacy and Policy in the Workplace: Implications for Nurses in Professional Development. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 30 (1), 29–33. DOI: 10.1097/NND.0000000000000027
Woods, M. (2014). Beyond moral distress preserving the ethical integrity of nurses. Nursing Ethics, 21 (2), 127–128.
