Question
Review the code of ethics or ethics code of conduct, mission, vision, and values of the organization for the Veterans Administration Medical Center (website is http://www.ethics.va.gov/. Interview Ms. Smith, RN, MSN, Associate Nurse Chief of Primary Care Clinics. Write a 350- to 700-word summary that discusses the following:Identify the person you interviewed and their position within the VAMC.
Discuss how the organizational expectations (i.e., code of ethics or ethics code of conduct, mission, vision, and values) impact their decision making.
Discuss how their decision impacts their colleagues and work environment.
Answer
Ethics
Ethics refer to a set of principles that organizations use to guide the decision making process, policies and programs. Ethics provide guidelines on key aspects in the organization and can be used to solve simple problems to complex dilemmas impacting the organization. The employees’ conformance to the code of ethics can affect the productivity as well as image of the organization. This can lead to improved public confidence on the organization. This paper will look at how organizational expectations which includes the ethics code of conduct, mission, vision, and values impact the decision making of an employee at VAMC.
I interviewed Ms. Smith, RN, MSN, Associate Nurse Chief of Primary Care Clinics at VA Medical Center. The organization expectations impact Ms. Smith’s decision making in a number of ways. VAMC’s code of conduct guides decision making and the general conduct expected of staff. The code of conduct describes the expected behaviors and give solutions to complex problems that the employees may encounter during their work. VAMC’s code of conduct binds employees to their duties and obligations by emphasizing on strict conformance to outlined rules and procedures. Every employee is expected to observe the code of conduct in administering his or her duties. The code of conduct thus defines what is wrong or right. Employees must strictly adhere to the code of conducts.
The mission statement calls upon all VAMC members to accord great care to those who has served as veterans and including their loved ones. Health workers thus concentrate on providing care to veterans and their family members. VA is guided by five core values that outline the obligations that every member working at the organization must fulfill. The first value is integrity. This requires that all employees must express high moral and professional standards. The second value is commitment which requires employees to show diligence in their work. The third value involves advocacy. This requires employees to truly champion the rights and interests of veterans and their families. Employees are also required to show dignity and respect to members. Lastly, employees must show excellence in their work, by striving to achieve the highest quality (“U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs,” (n.d)).
How their decision impacts their colleagues and work environment
Ms. Smith’s decision have a great impact to her colleagues and work environment. She is responsible for developing training programs that are meant to improve primary care skills among those involved. Her decisions are thus critical in determining the quality of care provided to patients. She is also charged with empowering other RNs to use standardized procedures in formulating clinical decisions. This ensures adherence to the ethical code of conduct. Her decisions also determine the colleagues to take on specialized functions, usually the ones who have successfully completed a short training course. Lastly, scheduling of employees is also part of her core duties. She decides the employees who will perform various roles and on which days.
Reference
U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. (n.d). National Center for Ethics in Health Care. Retrieved from: http://www.ethics.va.gov/
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