Ethics Learning Objectives

2-Hour

  1. Describe the process of informed healthcare decision making, including the elements that must exist and the specific components of an informed-consent discussion.

  2. Discuss surrogate decision making for incapacitated patients, including who can and should act as a proxy decision maker and what standards they should use to make healthcare choices for another.

  3. Differentiate between institution-based DNR orders, community-based DNR orders (also called out-of-hospital or portable DNR orders), and advance directives.

  4. Describe the legal, ethical, and emotional issues surrounding withholding and withdrawing medical therapies.

  5. Determine which of the following actions are currently legal versus illegal options: physician-assisted suicide, voluntary active euthanasia, mercy killing, terminal sedation, and voluntary stopping of eating and drinking.

  6. List and explain 10 strategies to encourage communication about end-of-life care among the patient, family, physicians, and nurses.

8-Hour

  1. Describe the process of informed healthcare decision making, including the elements that must exist and the specific components of an informed-consent discussion.

  2. Discuss surrogate decision making for incapacitated patients, including who can and should act as a proxy decision maker and what standards they should use to make healthcare choices for another.

  3. Examine your own personal values and preferences for end-of-life treatment and those of diverse patients.

  4. Differentiate between institution-based DNR orders, community-based DNR orders (also called out-of-hospital or portable DNR orders), and advance directives.

  5. Distinguish four different scenarios in which a patient might have a DNR order, including the features, concerns, and care implications for each.

  6. Describe the legal, ethical, and emotional issues surrounding withholding and withdrawing medical therapies.

  7. Determine which of the following actions are currently legal versus illegal options: physician-assisted suicide, voluntary active euthanasia, mercy killing, terminal sedation, and voluntary stopping of eating and drinking.

  8. Describe five steps for respectfully responding to patient or family requests to hasten death.

  9. List and explain 10 strategies to encourage communication about end-of-life care among the patient, family, physicians, and nurses.

  10. Describe three ways that your organization currently, or could in the future, provide organizational support for nurses’ participation in ethical decision making.