Ethics Case Study

Ethics Case Study

Marianne Lewis

HCS/335 Health Care Ethics and Social Responsibility

February 10, 2013

Qiana Amos, MPH

Ethics Case Study

Ethics are an important aspect of an individual’s personal as well as professional life since ethics helps people determine whether their actions are right or wrong, good or bad, just or unjust, and fair or unfair (Fremgen, 2009). Strong workplace and interpersonal ethics are essential to any career, but espeically so in health care since these professionals encounter people from all lifesyles, life and death situations, and further circumstances which people in other professions do not face.

One such situation is the case study involving Dr. William’s office assistant, Jerry McCall. While he is handling all the phone calls while the receptionist is at lunch, Jerry receives a phone call from a long time patient needing a last minute refill called in for his antidepressant, Valium, before taking a flight. The patient tells Jerry that Dr. Williams is a close friend. Jerry has some professional training as a medical assistant as well as a Licensed Pratcial Nurse,but has no certification in either field, and there is no one else available to fill the patient’s prescription. This study will examine whether or not Jerry is qualified to call in the refull, bearing on the situation if the patient had critical need for the medication, nad the ethical and legal stipulations and consequesnces concerned depending on Jerry’s possible choices.

QUALIFICATIONS

A health care professional must have specific qualifications and certifications to order medication refills for patients (Fremgen, 2009). While he has training as an LPN as well as a medical assistant, Jerry McCall seems to have no certification to work in either posisiton, and if the necessary certifications were possessed, neither positions gives him the qualifications to call in the refill order for the patient. In addition, he is sitting in for the receptionist who...