NURS 4332 Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course helps students identify current ethical issues
facing nursing today. It also looks at legal issues that have affected nursing in the past
and are currently affecting nursing today.
CREDIT: 3 Credit Hours
PROGRAM LEVEL: III
TEXTBOOKS:
Aiken, T. (2004). Legal, Ethical, and political issues in nursing (2nd Edition).
Philadelphia: F.A. Davis.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Compare the basis of decision-making in law and ethics as they apply to nursing.
2. Relate specific legal and ethical issues to the Texas Nurse Practice Act.
3. Discuss strategies that can be employed to address legal and ethical issues in
nursing practice.
4. Comprehend component of the preventive law paradigms for health care that
serve to prevent legal problems from occurring, becoming larger or resulting in
losses.
5. Identify ethical principles that guide health care decision making.
6. Describe current literature related to legal and ethical nursing practice dilemmas.
7. Discuss the interaction between professional nursing values and personal values.
Use critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making models as they relate
to ethical issues in nursing practice.
EVALUATION AND GRADING: A point system will be used to determine the grade
in Ethical and Legal Issues in Nursing.
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 75-79
D = 70-74
F = 69 and below
Exam 1 20%
Exam 2 20%
Exam 3 20%
Ethics Paper 25%
Case Studies 15%
COURSE OUTLINE:
Unit 1 Legal Issues
Chapter 1 The Law
Chapter 3 Professional Liability Insurance
Chapter 4 Informed consent issues
Chapter 5 Documentation and the Allied Health Professional
Unit II Ethical Issues
Chapter 6 Legal and Ethical Issues Affecting Educators and Students
Chapter 7 Ethical Issues in Health Occupations
Unit III Common Areas of Liability and Litigation
Chapter 9 Administrative and Medical Report Liability and Litigation
Chapter 11 Medical Equipment and Litigation
Chapter 12 Patient Care Liability and Litigation
Chapter 13 Conflict Management and the Health Care Provider
Ethical Paper 25%
Grading Criteria
 Paper provides a comprehensive analysis of selected ethical issues.
 Relevant issue(s) involved in the situation as presented are identified and
discussed.
 Associated relevant legal and social issues are presented and discussed.
 Sound and valid arguments are constructed to support ethical positions.
50 points _____________
 Relevance of dilemma to nursing is presented.
 The role/responsibility of the nurse is delineated.
 The impact on nursing as a profession is discussed.
20 points _____________
 Adequate literature support is provided throughout the paper.
Examples of an ethical issue are but not limited too:
Abortion
AIDS
Artificial Insemination
Organ Donations
Research, Experimentation, and Clinical Trials
Savior Siblings
Stem Cell Research
Sterilization
Wrongful Birth, Wrongful Life, and Wrongful Conception
Case Studies 15%
1. Intentional tort (Chapter 2)
2. Respiratory and Radiology (Chapter 8)
3. Spoliation (Chapter 10)