Ehical and Decision Making

The Williams Ethics Awareness Inventory (EAI) showed that I value results, obligation highly while valuing equity the least. After thoroughly reading Memorial Hermann's values our values closely align while our methods may differ.

The scenario that would yield a different ethical decision for me would be where the decision was between costs versus benefit. With Memorial Hermann being such a large institute they have to look at the bottom line and ultimately can not be in the negative and run a thriving business. This would differ for me because I would look at the results and my moral obligation. Would the costly treatment preserve a life? I personally could not see myself putting a monetary amount on a person's life. I do not believe that the company would either but if the cost were to put the company in a negative their decision would be more rationale and sound. As a nurse I find myself asking often "how would I want my mother, father to be treated in a situation?" My second highest value was obligation I believe these questions prove why. I feel personally obligated to help as many people as I can while providing them with service that I would want and expect of my loved ones. In this situation I can see how and why my values would differ from the organization. Memorial Hermann's value state "We are stewards of resources and are obligated to be medically, socially, financially, legally and environmentally responsible." While being financially responsible it can be difficult to shade lines when your personal feelings say otherwise. I can respect this from the company's stance.

When making ethical decisions the organization and I will look at results. Looking at tangible and measurable factors such as quantity of life, money expended or saved, and the impact on the company as a whole can help when making tough decisions. While reviewing these factors it can remove some of the guessing and emotions from the equation which then yields equality. I believe the company would score higher in equity than me as it is one of their core values. "We conduct business utilizing ethical standards and expect integrity, fairness and respect in all our responsibilities." So when making ethical decisions I feel Memorial Hermann would look at results, equity, and obligation in that order. While our values and ethics are aligned I believe our methods greatly differ.

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