CLO 1 Examine Ethical Values And Principles

CLO 1 Examine Ethical Values And Principles Inhe

CLO 1 Examine Ethical Values And Principles Inhe

Examine ethical values and principles inherent in healthcare, compare and contrast assessment methods and models such as the ACHE and PMI ethics self-assessments, the MindTools values video, Kant’s categorical imperatives, and Utilitarianism. Using this information, create an organizational ethics self-assessment tool for hiring healthcare leaders, including benchmarking existing tools and identifying challenges and strategies involved in creating such assessments. Write a persuasive memo proposing the addition of the ethics self-assessment to the hiring process.

Paper For Above instruction

In the healthcare sector, ethical integrity is paramount due to the direct impact on patient safety, trust, and quality of care. Developing robust ethics assessment tools for leadership hiring ensures that organizational values align with ethical principles, fostering a culture of accountability, respect, and professionalism. This paper explores various existing assessment methods, compares their foundations, and proposes the creation of a tailored ethics self-assessment for healthcare leadership recruitment.

Several assessment models currently facilitate the evaluation of ethical values within healthcare organizations. The American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) ethics self-assessment emphasizes core values such as integrity, compassion, and accountability, structured around scenarios and behavioral questions that reflect professional dilemmas (ACHE, 2023). The Project Management Institute (PMI) ethics self-assessment, on the other hand, focuses on decision-making aligned with PMI's ethical standards, including responsibility, respect, fairness, and honesty (PMI, 2022). Both tools aim to measure moral reasoning but differ in scope; ACHE primarily targets organizational leadership behaviors, while PMI’s assessment aligns with project-based ethics considerations.

The MindTools video on Values provides foundational understanding on how personal and organizational values guide ethical behavior. It encourages introspection about core principles like honesty, respect, and responsibility, which are integral to healthcare leadership (MindTools, 2023). Contrasting with these assessment methods, Kantian ethics—particularly the categorical imperative—mandate that individuals act according to principles that could be universally applied, emphasizing duty and moral law (Crane & Matiella, 2014). Utilitarianism, by contrast, evaluates actions based on their outcomes — aiming for the greatest good for the greatest number (Singer, 2011). Healthcare leaders must balance duty-based and outcome-based ethical considerations, making a comprehensive assessment tool that encompasses these models highly valuable.

Comparison reveals that the ACHE assessment promotes situational judgment aligned with professional standards, while PMI’s tool emphasizes personal responsibility and ethical decision-making in project management contexts. The Values video fosters personal awareness, whereas Kantian and Utilitarian frameworks offer philosophical depth to ethical reasoning. An effective assessment model for hiring healthcare leaders should integrate behavioral scenarios, applicant reflection prompts based on core values, and practical dilemmas aligned with Kantian duties and utilitarian outcomes. For example, candidates could be presented with cases involving resource allocation, patient autonomy, or organizational compliance, then required to justify their decisions using these ethical principles.

Designing an ethics self-assessment tailored for healthcare leadership requires benchmarking existing tools to identify best practices. Key features include scenario-based questions, ranking and justification components, and self-reflection prompts. The assessment must also measure candidates’ ability to navigate complex moral dilemmas, exercise moral courage, and demonstrate integrity under pressure (Hoffman et al., 2020). Challenges include avoiding subjectivity, ensuring cultural neutrality, and measuring moral reasoning objectively (Kohlberg, 1984). Strategies to mitigate these challenges include developing standardized scoring rubrics, incorporating behavioral interview techniques, and validating assessments through pilot testing.

The creation process emphasizes incorporating multiple ethical frameworks, fostering self-awareness, and emphasizing transparency in decision-making. Incorporating training sessions and feedback mechanisms can enhance reliability and fairness. The assessment could feature scenarios such as resource allocation during crises, respecting patient autonomy versus organizational policies, or managing conflicts of interest. Candidates would then be asked to articulate their reasoning, demonstrating awareness of ethical principles and their application (Rest, 1986). This multi-faceted approach ensures the assessment captures moral judgment, reasoning process, and personal conviction.

Implementing such an ethics self-assessment involves challenges like potential applicant resistance, the difficulty in capturing nuanced moral reasoning, and ensuring fairness across diverse backgrounds. To address these, strategies include clear communication about the assessment’s purpose, designing culturally sensitive questions, and providing preparatory resources for candidates. Additionally, assessments should be complemented with interviews, references, and practical evaluations to build a comprehensive picture of the candidate’s ethical capacity.

In conclusion, integrating an ethics self-assessment into healthcare leadership hiring not only enhances the selection of ethically competent professionals but also promotes organizational integrity. By benchmarking existing tools, employing multi-framework approaches, and addressing implementation challenges strategically, healthcare organizations can foster leadership that upholds the highest ethical standards and advances patient-centered care.

References

  • American College of Healthcare Executives. (2023). Ethics Self-Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.ache.org
  • Crane, T., & Matiella, A. (2014). Kantian Ethics. In The Oxford Handbook of Practical Ethics (pp. 88-105). Oxford University Press.
  • Gibson, R., et al. (2020). Ethical Decision Making in Healthcare. Journal of Medical Ethics, 46(2), 101-107.
  • Hoffman, S., et al. (2020). Moral Courage in Healthcare: Ethical Practice and Leadership. Nursing Ethics, 27(3), 787-796.
  • Kohlberg, L. (1984). Essays on Moral Development: Vol. One. The Philosophy of Moral Development. Harper & Row.
  • Lazenby, J. (2017). Maintaining Trust in Healthcare: The Role of Confidentiality and Ethics. Journal of Healthcare Management, 62(5), 349-357.
  • MindTools. (2023). Understanding Values and Ethics in the Workplace. Retrieved from https://www.mindtools.com
  • Patient's Bill of Rights. (2023). National Patient Safety Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.npsf.org
  • Project Management Institute. (2022). PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org
  • Singer, P. (2011). Practical Ethics. Cambridge University Press.