I get emails and messages
from nursing students, new and experienced nurses asking for advice on a
variety of topics. One of my favorite things to do is to help nurses succeed
through problem solving. I especially love it when I get a question that
involves an ethical dilemma like the following on cheating:
Here’s the situation:
One
of your classmates is cheating. You know it and so does everyone else. She has
managed to pass, semester after semester – cheating after cheating. You and
your peers are so frustrated!! Although you feel sorry for her, you want her
cheating to stop.
Question: What do you do? Do you tell? Do you keep
quiet?
Here’s my response:
Regarding the cheater - a few questions
to consider:
1. Do the instructors know she is
cheating? Don’t assume they do.
2. Has anyone addressed this with her? Establishes peer-to-peer accountability.
3. How has she managed to not get
caught?
Answer:
You, your peers and especially your
teachers have an ethical responsibility to address her cheating. Why? Because
as a nurse, you always have to make decisions based on your responsibility to
the public (patients). If you were a patient, would you want her caring for
you?
If your teachers don't know...tell
them. Remember, when you become a nurse, your priority is ALWAYS protecting
patients...no matter what.
Please, please send me any questions
you have and I’ll answer directly to you and may blog about it too. As in the
above situation, I will not include any identifiers.
Thanks so much for reading and for
choosing to become a nurse. I’m cheering for your success!!
Stay connected
Renee
For more great tips, make sure you "like" me on Facebook,"follow" me on Twitter and YouTube and subscribe to my blog. Also, check out my new book on nurse-to-nurse bullying!
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