ETHICAL THOUGHTS

 also called moral philospohy, is the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right
and wrong.

KANTIAN ETHICS
 The proponent of this is Immanuel Kant, a philosopher and one of the Enlightenment thinkers.
 Kant’s moral theory is often referred to as the “respect for persons” theory of morality.

--> are a set of universal moral principles that apply to all human beings, regardless of context or situation, these are
Categorical Imperatives, which are defined by their morality and level of freedom.
 People have a duty to do the right thing, even if it produces a bad result .
 So for example, Kant thought that it would be wrong to tell a lie in order to save a friend from a murderer.
So a person is doing something good if they are doing a morally right action.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

ETHICS
 Came from a noble family in Naples.
 Known as the greatest Christian medieval theologian-philsopher.
 Studied with Albert the Great in Paris and participated in the Aristotelian revival of the Middle Ages.
 Canonized and became a saint in 1323
 Aquinas believes that we should always follow our conscience, even when it is wrong or causes great harm.
Since we have no way of knowing whether our consciences are wrong, they are the best guide of we have as
to what is the moral thing to do.

3 Important Ethical Theories of Aquinas

a) the intrinsic connection between happiness and the human good.
b)the central role of human virtue in achieving this good.
c) the importance of moral rules

RAWL’S THEORY OF JUSTICE

 John Bordley Rawls was an American moral and political philosopher in the liberal tradition.
 Received the Schock prize for Logic and Philosophy and the National Humanities Medal in 199.
 Rawls theory of “ justice as fairness” recommends equal liberties, equality of opportunity, and facilitating the
maximum benefit to the least advantaged members of society in any case where inequalities may occur.
Rawl’s principles of justice:
1. Each person should have as much liberty as possible, as long as others have the same.
2. Social and economic inequities are permitted, as lon as:
a) they relate to positions open to all under equality of opportunity, and
b) they are for the greatest expecred benefit of the least advantaged members of society.

THE CALLING OF A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER (HCP)

 The “calling” signifies occupation, profession, or trade. It may imply a response of a human person to a
demand, need, or invitation to share in talents, expertise, skjlls, and knowledge with other in this earthly
course of human enterprise to attain quality life.
 It may further denote a vocation, which may determine what state in life a person wants to be. This vocation
includes the calling of the hcp to enter into a contract with society in the area of health as their profession.
 Taking care of the sick, the aged, the disabled, and others afflicted with infirmities is indeed, a noble
profession.

THE HEALTH CARE PROFESSION

 A profession is a complex, organized occupation proceded by a long training program.
 It is a calling in which members profess to have acquired special knowledge, by training or by experience or
both, so that they may guide, advise, or serve others in their specialized field.
  .Health care, modifying the term profession, may refer to watchful keeping of the condition of being well or
not sick. It is a means of promoting the patient’s well-being. This concept of well-being marks the boundaries
of the range of options offered to a patient. It involves his/her informed consent.
 Moreover, the well-being principle must be in harmony with autonomy. Patient’s autonomy necessitates
freedom from intereference or outside control.

THE HEALTH CARE PROVIDER

 A health care provider may be considered as a professional duly authorized to engage in, and granted by
applicable law monopoly over health care services.
 Health care providers may include, but not liited to, physicians, nurses, midwives and medical technologists.

THE NURSE: A MOTHER SURROGATE

 The word “nurse” is derived from the Latin verb nutrire, which means ‘to feed, nourish, or suckle”.
 As a noun, a nurse is “one who suckles a child not her own”.
 it implies that nursing involves caring for children, especially young children, caring for those who are childlike
in their dependence, such as the sick, the injured, the aged, and the handicapped.
 Likewise, it implies t with that the basic function of a nurse is identical to with that of a mother who, in the
latter’s absence, acts as a mother surrogate to the patient who has serious emotional needs.
 The “mother role” of a nurse is limited to the nurturing component of maternal role.
 The nurse can do nothing to influence or change the course of treatment of the patient.

THE NURSE AS A PROFESSIONAL

 A professional is one is bound by values and standards other than those of his/her employing organization,
setting one’s own rules, seeking to promote standards of excellence and being evaluated, and looking for
approval from one’s own professional peers.
 A professional nurse is one who finished and acquired or gained a high level of specialized skills and
knowledge through long years of study in nursing academic setting.
 This expertise distinguishes him/her from non-professionals, and equips him/her to meet the needs of the
society, thus, fulfilling the purpose of the nursing profession.
 Moreover, aside from expertise, there are other defining attributes related and applicable to nursing
profession, namely: autonomy, accountability, authority, and unity.

THE CLIENT
 A client is a person or group for whom a doctor, lawyer, a nurse, or other professional, person or service
acts. He/she may be any person who has a need or want, and looks for the professional (nurse, doctor,
teacher) to get and satisfy that need.