Ethical dimensions of nursing practice

Nurses are often called upon to participate in ethical decision-making. As the dimensions of nursing care increase, this role will also increase. This article has provided some strategies by which the nurse can come to an independent, personal decision; understand why the stance was chosen; and articulate the rationale for the choice to others. Obviously, this article is not meant to provide the sole groundwork for ethical decision-making, but rather an impetus for the practicing nurse to seek more information on ethics and the ethical dimensions of her own practice. Resolving ethical dilemmas will never be easy; however, by utilizing the theories and models presented here, the nurse can contribute to a responsible ethical decision. The Blackfoot Indian tribe has a philosophy regarding ethical choice that seems appropriate: "Everything is neither right nor wrong. The right or wrong is in the choosing, the keeping, the losing. All paths are light and shadow, and every path is a different thing to each man. The right and the wrong, the good and the evil lie not upon the silent pathway, but in the man that walks it..."