Short answerBioethics

Ethical Nursing APA Assignment

Three moves, and the last two are different questions. What a nurse should ethically do and what a nurse is legally exposed to are separate analyses, and merging them loses one of them.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 22, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

Ethical action and legal exposure are different questions

Choose the article for the issue rather than for the story, because a news piece about a dramatic case often contains no bioethical question at all. A usable article raises something with genuinely competing answers: consent in a population that cannot easily give it, resource allocation, genetic information and who else it concerns, end-of-life decisions, research in low-income settings, or the use of algorithms in clinical decisions. Summarise it briefly and then name the issue as a conflict between two things worth having, because an issue stated as a wrong to be corrected leaves nothing for the rest of the assignment to analyse. Test the article before committing: if you can state the issue in a sentence and someone could reasonably disagree with the obvious answer, it will carry the assignment; if the answer is plainly right, choose another article and save yourself the difficulty later.

Then keep the two questions apart, because they are asked separately and answering one twice is the commonest failure. The ethical actions question is about what a nurse ought to do: advocate, escalate through the chain, request an ethics consultation, document, ensure the patient understands, raise a conscientious objection through the proper route, or refuse to participate. Be specific about the mechanism rather than saying the nurse should advocate for the patient, since most institutions have an ethics committee and a defined route to it, and knowing that route is part of the competence being tested. The legal issues question is about exposure and obligation: scope of practice, mandatory reporting, documentation as evidence, informed consent as a legal requirement distinct from an ethical one, confidentiality and its statutory exceptions, and the protections that do or do not exist for a nurse who refuses or reports. Note where the two diverge, because the gap is where nurses actually get into difficulty.

Likely learning objectives

Select an article containing a genuine bioethical conflict.
State the issue as competing goods rather than as a wrong.
Specify ethical actions with the institutional mechanism attached.
Distinguish legal exposure from ethical obligation.

Assignment instructions

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Assignment: 1. Locate an article that discusses a bioethics issue. First, provide a summary of the article and the bioethics issue being presented. Next, discuss what ethical actions the nurse should take in relation to the issue being presented. Also, discuss possible legal issues that the nurse should be aware of. This section should include at least 1 outside reference and your textbook and should be at least 1 ½ pages long. 2. Analyze the following case study and then answer the following questions: You are working on the Operating Room and the trauma alert goes off. You respond to the ER to provide support. Once in the ER, you receive report that an 89 year old male is coming in with a self-inflicted GSW (Gun Shot Wound) to the head. You listen to the radio traffic between the ER and ambulance to get an idea what kind of surgery you need to set up for and what will be needed as far as lines and fluid. Here is the report: HR: 121 B/P: 60/45 Saturation: 93% Patient is intubated and non-responsive. Right pupil is fixed and dilated. Paramedic also states there is a large extended family headed to the ER. The patient lost his wife of 60 years 1 week ago and left a note stating that he is too heartbroken to go on. The patient and family arrive. The neurosurgeon discusses that their father’s potential outcome, even with surgery, is not good. The family still insists that the neurosurgeon complete the surgery. 1. What are the ethical and legal issues in this case study. Be specific and support your response with references Once you have the patient in the room and you are prepped and ready for surgery, the phone rings. You receive word that the patient signed DNR orders two days ago. 1. As the OR nurse what are your legal and ethical issues now? Was the patient of sound mind when he signed this order? Do you honor the DNR or the family’s wishes? Explain and support your response. Your response to this case study should be at least 2 pages and include 2 outside references and your textbook. Please submit one paper which includes both assignments.

Turn the brief into deliverables

01A summary of the chosen article.
02The bioethics issue stated as a conflict.
03Ethical actions the nurse should take, with mechanisms.
04A named route such as an ethics consultation.
05Legal issues the nurse should be aware of.
06A point where the legal and ethical answers diverge.