The invitational conference: a strategy for exploring ethical issues

The author describes an invitational conference format with prepared participants and Socratic questioning techniques used to facilitate exploration of the ethical implications of using unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP). Examples of the issues discussed are failure to treat UAP with respect, nurses not used to their fullest potential, and professional nurses' claims that UAP lack the knowledge and skills to permit effective delegation. The author recommends this strategy to facilitate exploration of other ethical issues.