UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
COLLEGE OF NURSING
COURSE SYLLABUS
SUMMER 2012
COURSE NUMBER
NUR 3826
COURSE TITLE
Legal and Ethical Issues in Nursing
CREDITS
2
PLACEMENT
BSN Program: 3rd Semester Upper Division
PREREQUISITES
NUR 3825 Introduction to the Profession of Nursing
COREQUISITES
None
FACULTY
M. J. Snider, EdD, RN
snidemj@ufl.edu (352) 273-6359 HPNP 4221
Office hours: Wed 11am – 12pm and by appointment
DEPARTMENT CHAIR
M. J. Snider, EdD, RN
snidemj@ufl.edu (352) 273-6359 HPNP 4221
Office hours: Wed 11am – 12pm and by appointment
JACKSONVILLE CAMPUS DIRECTOR
Andrea Gregg, DSN
greggac@ufl.edu
Jacksonville
(904) 244-5172
Office hours: By appointment only
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to examine legal issues and ethical dilemmas in nursing practice.
Consequences of ethical misconduct and legal malpractice are explored. Emphasis is on ethical
decision making processes and recognition of negligent practices. Focus is on case analysis of
legal and ethical issues.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course, the student will:
1. Analyze basic legal concepts relevant to the issues of negligence in the practice of
professional nursing.
2. Describe ethical principles related to decision making with clients across the lifespan.
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COURSE OBJECTIVES (continued)
3. Use an ethical decision making model to analyze complex ethical dilemmas in diverse
populations.
4. Discuss accountability for protecting confidential and private healthcare information
from diverse information sources.
5. Analyze potential conflicts between personal beliefs and values and professional values
on legal and ethical dilemmas in practice.
6. Evaluate professional responses to selected ethical and legal issues.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Section
7A62
Day
Thursday
Time
8:00-10:45am
Room
G114
E-Learning (Sakai) is the course management system that you will use for this course. ELearning is accessed by using your Gatorlink account name and password at http://lss.at.ufl.edu.
There are several tutorials and student help links on the eLearning login site. If you have
technical questions call the UF Computer Help Desk at 352-392-HELP or send email to
helpdesk@ufl.edu.
It is important that you regularly check your Gatorlink account email for College and University
wide information and the course eLearning site for announcements and notifications.
Course websites are generally made available on the Friday before the first day of classes.
ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to be present for all scheduled classes, other learning experiences, and
examinations. Students who have extraordinary circumstances preventing attendance should
explain these circumstances to the course instructor prior to the scheduled class or as soon as
possible thereafter. Instructors will then make an effort to accommodate reasonable requests. A
grade penalty may be assigned for late assignments.
ACCOMODATIONS DUE TO DISABILITY
Each semester, students are responsible for requesting a memorandum from the Disability
Resource Center to notify faculty of their requested individual accommodations. This should be
done at the start of the semester.
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STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are to refer to the College of Nursing Student Handbook for information about College
of Nursing policies, honor code, and professional behavior.
TOPICAL OUTLINE
Advanced legal concepts relevant to health care
a. negligence
b. malpractice
c. intentional torts
2. Liability for actions in practice
a. consequences for negligence
b. privacy
c. advocacy
d. peer review
3. Ethical theories and principles
4. Ethical decision making process
5. Rights-based issues across the lifespan
6. Informed consent
TEACHING METHODS
Guided large group discussions, case analysis, and assigned readings.
LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Participation in group case analysis, completion of e-learning assignments, written papers, and
continuing development of e-portfolio
EVALUATION METHODS/COURSE GRADE CALCULATION
Class attendance and participation
Legal questions
Values / Code paper
Legal case analysis
Ethical case analysis
15%
05%
15%
30%
35%
100%
Assignments will be returned within 7 days.
GRADING SCALE/QUALITY POINTS
A
AB+
B
BC+
95-100 (4.0)
93-94 (3.67)
91- 92 (3.33)
84-90 (3.0)
82-83 (2.67)
80-81 (2.33)
C
CD+
D
DE
74-79* (2.0)
72-73 (1.67)
70-71 (1.33)
64-69 (1.0)
62-63 (0.67)
61 or below (0.0)
* 74 is the minimal passing grade
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REQUIRED TEXTS
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association. (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author. Third printing
Fowler, M. ed. (2008). Guide to the code of ethics for nurses. Silver Springs, Md.: American
Nurses Association
Davis, A., Fowler, M. & Aroskar, M. (2010). Ethical dilemmas and nursing practice. (5th ed.).
USA: Pearson.
Guido, G. (2010). Legal and ethical issues in nursing. (5th ed.). USA: Pearson
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
None
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WEEKLY CLASS SCHEDULE
DATE
TOPIC/EVALUATION
ASSIGNMENTS/READINGS
5/17/12
Introduction to the course
Introduction to Law
Principles and concepts
See course materials for
weekly preparation and
assignments
5/24/12
Introduction to Law (continued)
As above
5/31/12
Cause of Action
As above
6/7/12
Cause of Action
Case analysis
As above
Questions due
6/14/12
Cause of Action
Case analysis
As above
6/21/12
Law and Ethics: The Gray Areas
As above
7/5/12
Overview of selected ethical theories
As above
Legal Analysis due
7/12/12
Introduction to Ethical Theories: The Code
of Ethics; The Four Principles
As above
7/19/12
Autonomy & Informed Consent: Principle
of proportionality
Case analysis
As above
Values paper due
7/26/12
Justice and Rights based ethics
Case analysis
As above
8/2/12
Beneficence & Nonmaleficence;
Confidentiality
As above
8/9/12
Case analysis
Ethical Case Analysis due
Approved:
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Academic Affairs Committee:
General Faculty:
UF Curriculum Committee:
07/05; 10/07; 09/09
07/05; 10/07; 09/09
08/00; 10/09
Assignments
1. Class attendance: Students are expected to attend and participate in the large group
discussion. Role will be taken for each class. You are expected to be conversant with the
case under review and be able to respond to questions and discourse regarding the cases.
2. Questions on legal aspects from course materials will be presented on the date assigned.
You may use Sakai to submit these responses or submit a typed hard copy to your
professor. (See p.1 & 2 in course materials).
3. You will be given a case to analyze for cause of action. Discuss foreseeability and
provide rationale for the answers attached to the case example. Use APA format and
provide two reference s other than your textbook. You may use the same method of
submission as #2.
4. You will be given an ethics case to analyze using the decision-making model discussed in
class. Use APA format and provide two references to support your rationale for your
decision as the moral agent.
5. Retrieve your values paper from the first PS course. Note the values to which you
ascribed importance in that early paper. THEN…
Select two parts of the Code of Ethics that correspond to the values you selected. Write a
three page paper describing examples of violations of the code that you have experienced.
Do not identify the service, agency, staff or patient(s) specifically. Describe how these
experiences might have been done differently so that the Code was honored. What
professional nursing values that you identified in your first values paper are congruent
with the parts of the Code you selected?
6. Specific directions for each paper assignment will be provided.
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