PHIL 291 - Ethics and Policy in Healthcare

Credits: 5
Variable Credit Course: No

Lecture Hours: 55
Lab Hours: 0
Worksite/Clinical Hours: 0
Other Hours (LIA/Internships): 0

Course Description: Policy and Ethics in Healthcare is a required course for the Nursing Department Direct Transfer Agreement. The foundational principles of ethics and the health care policy environments are covered specific to the profession of nursing and health care. Explores the legal and ethical implications of the nursing process as applied to personal, client and organizational beliefs and values, utilizing the Jonsen, Siegler and Winslade (2010) Model for practice application. Focus is on understanding of policies, ethics, and legal issues related to overall practice in healthcare professions. Includes local, state, national, and global perspectives of healthcare policy, ethics and law. Includes a focus on emerging issues and uses of technology to plan for the future.

Prerequisite: NURS 281, 282 with a grade 2.7 (B-) or higher and concurrent enrollment in NURS 291, 292.
General Education Requirements:

Fulfills Think General Education Requirement

Meets FQE Requirement: No
Integrative Experience Requirement: No

Student Learning Outcomes

Interpret the implications of historical health policies as they relate to health care delivery today.
Analyze the legislative/policy environment as related to the health care industry.
Examine the impact of legislation on health care.
Differentiate between ethics, beliefs, and values in regards to their impact on health care systems/organizations.
Interpret major ethical theories and principles as they apply to health care professionals.
Examine the differences between legal and ethical issues in health care.
Apply problem-solving methodologies for clinical and administrative roles.
Justify the roles of institutional compliance and ethics committees.
Critique emerging trends that stimulate change in global and national health care systems/services.
Debate future ethical issues, such as technological innovations associated with a rapidly changing health care environment.
PROGRAM OUTCOME: Human Flourishing: Advocate for patients and families in ways that promote their self-determination, integrity, and ongoing growth as human beings.
PROGRAM OUTCOME: Nursing Judgment: Make judgments in practice, substantiated with evidence, that integrate nursing science in the provision of safe, quality care and promote the health of patients within a family and community context.
PROGRAM OUTCOME: Professional Identity: Implement one’s role as a nurse in ways that reflect integrity, responsibility, ethical practices, and an evolving identity as a nurse committed to evidence-based practice, caring, advocacy, and safe, quality care.
PROGRAM OUTCOME: Spirit of Inquiry: Examine the evidence that underlies clinical nursing practice to challenge the status quo, question underlying assumptions, and offer new insights to improve the quality of care for patients, families, and communities.

Course Contents

Historical evolution of U.S. health care and types of health care delivery environments.
Legislative and policy environment for the health care industry.
Impact of legislation on health care.
Implications of ethics, beliefs and values on the health care system and organizations.
Major ethical theories and principles.
Legal and ethical issues.
Problem-solving methodologies for clinical and administrative environments.
Roles of institutional compliance and ethics committees.
Emerging issues that stimulate change in the global and US US health care systems and services.
Ethical issues in the rapidly changing health care environment including technological innovation.

Instructional Units: 5