Scenario Ok, Lead Surgeon, it is time to do what you do best! There is a lot at
stake. The decision must be made almost immediately. Like all actions,
you will need to write your decision into medical documentation before
you begin. Yes, that means YOU! In the limited time before you would
begin surgery, you need to consider the cases; the technical issues
involved also, and write a Memorandum for the Record to document what
decision you made and what considerations you included in your process.
This will be on the record, so it needs to be thorough in case it needs
to justify your actions at a later date.Your dilemma is that you have to make a
painful medical decision and to explain, in writing, who benefits from
what you decided, who gets denied a needed benefit, and why. The
document is to be in the form of an official memorandum that will be
kept for the record and could be potentially read by not only your Peer
Review Committee, but also possibly those involved in charitable
fundraising to support hospital development and others with financial
interests in the choice made. Role: You are the Lead Surgeon in a major hospital, and by virtue of your
seniority you are also the key decision maker for transplant cases.
Right now you have three people who are waiting and hoping for a
suitable heart to become available. Your cell phone rings suddenly, and
you are notified that a heart has become available-meaning that you need
to make a quick yet sound decision about which patient will receive the
heart and then schedule surgery for today. Deliverable:Your assignment is to make the decision using utilitarian ethics–as
this week’s classwork and discussions have brought you that skill–and
then to write it up in the form of a Memorandum for the hospital
records. Remember that this record could be reviewed by the Peer Review
Committee or the Hospital Trustees at a later date. This is Utilitarian
Week in our course. Employ what you have learned from J. S. Mill and
Utilitarianism this week AND one other of our course’s ethicists (of
your choice) from earlier weeks. The Memorandum should be at least two
double-spaced pages with a maximum of three pages, in memorandum form,
ready to become an official item of record. The patients:1)Jerry ,55 yo family man, mid-level manager 2)Lisa female 12yo with life long health issues 3)ozzy male 32 homeless and drug abuser 4)Dr Doe male 35 yo Lisa’s dad the oncologistYou will see in the You Decide tab
that there is time pressure in the simulated situation to make your
decision, so remember that you would not have the luxury to dawdle in
the decision-making process, and as the decision-maker, you would not
have the luxury of consulting others. It all falls on YOU!Include
in the document the utilitarian ethical philosophy of John Stuart Mill
(from the lecture and audio for this week) and ONE OTHER ETHICAL
PHILOSOPHER of your choice that we have studied to date, and use both of
those philosophies to bolster your decision. This paper will be at
least two double spaced pages but limited to three pages. Remember both
professional written form and potential audience, as well as tone when
writing this sensitive paper. APA Format
Recent Comments