As you have learned, differences exist between morality, ethics, and the law. Morality refers to an individual‘s moral compass or belief system based on their individual perspective. Ethics refers to the standard of action that should be performed, irregardless of an individual‘s perspective, opinion, or ideology. Law simply refers to any legal requirements involved.

In an ethical dilemma, varying perspectives exist. Oftentimes, these perspectives include the patient, provider, caregiver, family member, or staff member. Every person has a unique perspective and it is these unique experiences that form our belief system. As a future leader in healthcare administration, it is important to identify and understand how these varying perspectives act as a foundation for individual morality and influence our decisions. Likewise, it is also important to understand that despite personal morality, providers are required to abide by the ethical standards present in the field.

In this unit, you will explore the differences between morality and ethics by examining a scenario and its implications from varying perspectives. By the end of this unit, you will be able to proficiently discuss the need for and role of ethics in the American healthcare environment.

To begin, use the following stories from the textbook from which to address the assignment requirements:

• The Story of the Harvey Family and the Interprofessional Care Team (p. 3)

Title: Ethical Dimensions in the Health Professions 

Edition: 6th (2015) 

Author: Doherty, Regina and Purtilo, Ruth 

Publisher: Elsevier Science

Book ISBN: 978-0323328920 

In a 3-5 page paper (excluding title page and reference list), address the following:

• Summarize the story briefly providing the ethical dilemma and parties involved.
• Discuss the varying perspectives from the parties involved. Be sure to discuss potential reasoning for the varied perspectives. Please note that you may need to include fictitious information to complete this.
• Discuss ethical standards relevant to the unique scenario.
• Identify possible personal moral convictions which may influence the direction of the story.
• Foreshadow potential events in the story of what could happen if ethical standards did not exist. 

Report your findings noting the following standards:

• Current APA formatting (e.g. title page, citations, conclusion, reference page, etc.) should be used.
• Proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation are expected.
• Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, unoriginal work, and unattributed content is not permitted and will result in action pursuant to the University’s Plagiarism Policy and Procedures. 
• Cite at least 3-5 scholarly sources.