Question

Reflect on an experience in which you were directly involved or witnessed incivility in the workplace. Provide a brief synopsis of the situation. How did this make you feel? How did you respond? What were the consequences of this situation? Provide an example of how this negatively affected the work environment and outcomes. How could the situation have been prevented? Discuss strategies that would support a healthy work environment.

Answer

Reflection on an Experience in Which I Was Directly Involved

Euthanasia and assisted suicide constitute an issue that has raised a contracted debate in the medical field. Some states like Montana, Washington, and Oregon allow a physician to painlessly kill a patient who is suffering from an irreversible coma, incurable illness, or painful disease. The two terms have different meanings depending on who is administering the toxic dosage of medication. When a doctor, nurse, or any other third-person performs this act, then it is considered as euthanasia. However, when patients administer the medication by themselves, it is considered as physician aid-in-dying or assisted suicide (Asch, 2017).

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I happen to be a practicing nurse from one of the states that legalize the practice of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Due to personal reasons, I left my state to join one of my friends who happened to stay in a state where I later learned that these two acts are illegal. I joined one of the health facilities and worked as a nurse. During the delivery of my services, I encountered an incidence where my patient was in pain and who believed that he not recover from his ailment. He pleaded with me to help him kill himself. Since I had reviewed his medical history and I also was aware that his chances of dying were high, I decided to aid in his death. After his death, I wrote a medical report indicating that he underwent assisted suicide.

When the head of my department went through this report, I was informed that I would be charged for murder since euthanasia and assisted suicide were illegal in that state. Upon receiving the judgment, I felt so awful, and sorry for myself especially after realizing that the contract form I had signed during recruitment was clear that the two acts are illegal. My human nature of sympathy and the conscience I used when performing euthanasia and assisted suicide in my state overrode my ethical duty in that state.

I could not defend myself since I had signed the contract and my practicing act was binding as per that state. My act was illegal before the law, and I had to face the consequence of losing my practicing certificate in that state. This negative act led to the relatives of the deceased suing the health facility. Moreover, the resulting lack of public confidence led to the hospital’s loss of many clients.

The situation would have been reversed if, upon employment, the management was keen to take practitioners from other states through training on work ethics immediate after employment. This training, unlike a cursory reading of the contract documents, would assist me in mastering the principles of healthcare practice at the hospital.

In this particular incident, some of the strategies that would support a healthy work environment include promoting effective communication which enhances discussion of situations and finding the best solutions (AANA, 2017). This strategy would also improve the level of trust between patients and medical professionals in the workplace.

References

AANA. (2017). Promoting a Culture of Safety and Healthy Work Environment. America Association of Nursing Anesthetists, 1.

Asch, D. (2017). The Role of Critical Care Nurses in Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide. The New England Journal of Medicine, 1.