Week 1: Intro to Law and Ethics Flashcards
Why do we study law and ethics?
- Accountability
- Nurses are one of the most trusted moral higher competence
- Safe nursing practice - requires legal boundaries and pertinent laws
- Protect us from liabilities
- Helps us identify what we ought to do
- Helps us navigate complex issues
- Understanding the limits of nursing practice
Define Law
established rules for behaviours; includes rights, privileges and obligations
Define Ethics
a branch of philosophy that looks at right and wrong
“What should I do - makes us think about what we should/shouldn’t do”
Define Morality
an accepted set of social standards (or morals) that guide behavior
What is societal ethics?
what’s acceptable in society? *guides us on how to behave in public
Forming a line/lining up & not cutting, wearing masks, treating ppl fairly & w/o discrimination
what is organizational ethics?
reflects the values of an institution
MAID isn’t offered at catholic hospitals (St. B); Klinic = pro-choice
what is bioethics/clinical ethics?
values & principles that apply to health & human services
Respect for autonomy; doing good/preventing harm; equality & equity
what is professional ethics?
ethical standards/values of a specific profession
Nurses follow the CNA Code of Ethics (+CRNM)
what is personal ethics?
what’s important to me based on my own values/beliefs/culture?
Freedom of choice; animal rights; equality *continuously evolving & can conflict w/ other values
Define a statue law
Public
sets rules for b/w individual & society *break criminal law = wrong against society
Formal written rules (or “acts”) for the country/province/city made by federal/provincial govts
Parliament and provincial legislatures make statutes
What are regulations?
under public law; these are laws passed to update/change existing statutes (due to how difficult statues are to change)
Delegated or subordinate legislation; Made by persons to whom Parliament/Legislature has delegated the authority,
What is Private law?
sets rules b/w individuals ONLY
Settles disputes among groups of people & compensates victims
What is Common Law or “Case Law”?
court interpretation of a statute; based off of precedent
Established through trials of people found to be in violation of an Act, & through civil lawsuits that settles private disputes/harms that’ve been committed by an individual against another
What is Precedent?
the 1st case that a judge made a decision of how a specific law/conflict should be interpreted → that precedent serves as a guide/model for how similar cases should be treated in the future
What is Civil Law or “Tort Law”?
an action that settles private disputes *under common law
Rules & legal principles that control relationships, respective rights, & obligations among individuals or institutions
Established by courts (separate from govts.); wrong committed by one against another
Go to court but not jail
