The John Hopkins University School of Nursing is of unquestionable moral standing, and the institute articulates its core values like excellence, respect, diversity, integrity, and accountability. It would therefore be a reasonable assumption that the university would expect the same high values to be embodied in its students. I view myself as a person of high integrity, and my ethical behaviors are a fundamental part of who I am.
A case that comes to mind is a situation that I faced while serving as a hospital volunteer. In this capacity, I had to ensure that the patients were wholly cared for. I fulfilled this task by ensuring that the patients were comfortable and had the necessary medical attention. One of the patients was having trouble managing his pain, and he was adamant that the only way to alleviate this was by increasing his morphine dosage. However, the doctor in charge refused his request since he said it could lead to complications. The patient, therefore, engaged me as I was doing my rounds and requested me to raise his dosage. He offered to tip me generously for my troubles.
I knew this was unethical, and it would display a lack of integrity if I agreed to a bribe. I, therefore, politely refused his request, which made him very angry. In the next few days, it transpired that the patient had gotten someone to increase his dosage, which resulted in nearly fatal complications as the doctor had predicted. The patient accused me of having aided him. His accusation could have had dire consequences on my future stay with the hospital since, as a volunteer, the patient’s word was more credible than mine. However, my immediate volunteer vouched for me, and the patient admitted that he was only accusing me on malicious grounds.