So this week we were assigned chapter 1 and 1a in "The Tracks We Leave" text. I LOVED this reading. Last week the reading was straight definitions and I had a hard time trying to piece things together in my mind what exactly ethical dilemmas implied. This week was so much different. The chapter starts out with a real life example of a typical ethical dilemmas that could happen. The situation itself, at Paradise Hill, was interesting and relatable. I wasn't sure if this was a real life example or a fictional one. After the situation was presented then the definitions were introduced, the different types of ethical issues. The explanation of the ethical issues was presented in the form of the questions you would ask yourself if you were encountering that ethical issue. Giving the question rather then a definition gave the explanation more meaning and made it more relatable to the reader. Next the ethical issues were related directly
to the situation at Paradise Hill, and backed up further through details of other documents related to the issue of medical errors, patients rights and ethical standards and codes.
All in all it was a great way for me to make a mental connection of the definitions. This connection will make it easier to apply the definitions to different situations by using this example as a reference.
Chapter 1a was also insightful and made me think of my values. This is something else hard for an individual to define. It is not something i often sit down and reflect upon. In the situation at Paradise Hill i would have had a hard if i were any one of the different people that were part of the situation. If i were the CEO it would be hard for me not to listen to my employees and their perceptive on the issue when I have different stakeholder such as the board members who felt a different way. In one section of the chapter the question of whether values are separable from facts. Facts are easier to defend, they are concrete and hard to argue against. However someone may value one fact's important over another. So does your role in life determine what your values are? and if that is the case, since our roles are ever changing and expanding are also our set of values?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hi Kim,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I felt the same way you did about the Paradise Hills case. It is a situation that I had never really though about, and the guide for ethical decision making helped me work through it.
And to answer your final question...I think your role in life can determine what your values are. I noticed that when I assume more responsibility, especially in the work place, ethics plays more of a role in my life. I want to be an example for the people I supervise and I don't want them to think of me as a person who will "just let it slide."
Great post! It really got me thinking!