Ethical Considerations for Nursing Students

This study presents ethical considerations for nursing students using the case study of an emergency patient who specified no life-supporting treatment in their living will. Data were obtained from 47 fourth-year nursing students who took critical care theory immediately after completing acute care nursing practice coursework and were analyzed using the KJ technique. Students’ perspectives originated from ambiguity in language in patients with impaired willingness and included “credibility of the patient’s language”, “assessing and predicting worsening prognosis because of pain relief.” Health care workers were associated with “respect for the patient's will.” Moreover, “a critical perspective based on ethical principles in treatment credibility” considered the family’s surrogate decision-making. Students’ perspectives focused on final treatment policies leading to sedation rather than prolonging life. Using ethical principles, students considered whether family and health care workers could fulfill their respective roles. Students’ perspectives of ethical considerations were mainly patient-centered. Through this case study, students gained exposure to real-world scenarios with conflicting ethical principles and understood that optimal solutions for patient care may not be obvious.