The profession of nursing must have high values and ethics, but how does a nurse make that tough ethical decision. Ethical decision making is defined as “The process of choosing between actions based on a system of beliefs and values” (Black, 2014, p. 347). The nurse has to go through a process to come to the most ethical and just decision based on their facility and their ethics.
The ethical decision making process is similar in many aspects to that of the nursing process itself. The nurse must clarify the problem, research the situation, consider possible alternatives, arrive at a conclusion, put the conclusion to application, and reassess the decision (Black, 2014). The decision may initially seem