Ethics Vignette Paper

I observed two central ethical concerning behaviors from the vignette. One of them was shown by Jane when he stepped on the files and kicked them towards Henry. It is a concerning behavior, mainly because they are co-workers in the same organization. As an ethical co-worker, Jane could have taken the files and put them on the desk, or if perhaps she avoided taking someone else’s responsibility, tell Henry to collect them. Jane stepping on them and kicking them shows she is unethical and disrespectful. Another ethical concern is Dr. Rex talking about the patients in the kitchen. It is unethical and a lack of respect for doctors to discuss how patients are affected with other staff like kitchen staff. Unless the kitchen staff is taking part in treatments, it remains unethical to display the conditions which should otherwise remain private.

Step-wise Model

The problem articulating the ethical concern is irresponsibility and carelessness. Both Henry and Jane showed irresponsibility because they are responsible for ensuring patients’ files are safe. Even if Henry was not aware that the files are on the floor, it shows he did not care much about patients’ information leaking. A responsible employee will occasionally check whether everything is in order or not. Secondly, Jane showed irresponsibility as an employee. A dedicated employee is not supposed to kick or step on files; instead, collect them. Another problem is Dr. Rex’s irresponsibility. He was unethical when he leaked the patients’ information to other staff in the kitchen.

I would use several rules found in the ACA (2020) website. They are; respect to the public, in this case, respect to patients, preserve the integrity of private information. For instance, when Dr. Rex disclosed the patients’, information. Members should respect their colleagues; for example, Jane could not have stepped or kicked the files; instead, she could have respected her colleague and tell him to collect them. The nature of the dilemma is that Jane kicked the files towards the desk so that Henry could see them and collect them. This might not indicate unethical behavior because she did that with good intention- Henry to notice them. Even though it poses a dilemma, I would still consider it unethical.

Some of the options I would consider would include talking to Jane as an individual without incorporating Henry. I would do so because she is the leading cause of the problem and most affected unethically. The second option is to ask Jane to apologize to Henry because, besides being unethical, she disrespected Henry by stepping on the files. Thirdly, I would ask both of them to collaborate and solve the issue as collaboration is one of the best conflict resolution strategies (Goldsworthy, Schwartz, Barab, & Landa, 2006). Lastly, I would ask Jane to revisit the ACA guidelines. After analyzing the impact of the options, asking Jane to review the ACA is the best option because it will not affect their relationship with Henry or I. Revisiting the ACA codes will not bring out other ethical issues. After all, she will be dealing with herself and not Henry or any other person; hence, there will be no room to show unethical behavior. Lastly, I would decide to implement and assess her behavior over time.

Advice

I would have given them an example of a scenario in which colleagues have behaved disrespectfully, irresponsibly, and unethically. Also, show the repercussions of the scenario. At the end of the story, I would show them the importance of being ethical and respecting colleagues and the public. Specifically, I would have advised them how to respect one another to foster relationships and productivity in the workplace.

Reflection

The model is different from my thinking in step two. I would not have considered what the ACA code of ethics says; rather, I would have considered what I know to be ethical from my experiences, which is not sufficient. Step two has shown me a unique way of verifying my ethical beliefs to act according to the universally accepted ethics.

References

ACA. (2020). Code of ethics. Retrieved from https://www.aca.org/ACA_Prod_IMIS/ACA_Member/AboutUs/Code_of_Ethics.aspx?WebsiteKey=139f6b09-e150-4c56-9c66-284b92f21e51&hkey=61577ed2-c0c3-4529-bc01-36a248f79eba#:~:text=%20ACA%20Code%20Of%20Ethics%20%201%20Members,within%20the%20profession%20and%20improve%20the…%20More%20

Goldsworthy, R., Schwartz, N., Barab, S., & Landa, A. (2006). Evaluation of a collaborative multimedia conflict resolution curriculum. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55(6), 597-625. doi:10.1007/s11423-006-9006-5