The Ethics of the Human Service Worker
The Ethics of the Human Services Worker
Mariah Alvarez, Elana Payne, Sharon Smith
University of Phoenix
BSHS 301: Introduction to Human Services
Group Number: CC08BHS1F2
Professor Deborah Cujino-Deras, M.S., C.R.C.
April 24, 2008
The Ethics of the Human Services Worker
What do you do when an elderly stroke patient is demonstrating obvious signs of dementia, with uncontrollable and erratic behavior? When this patient must be firmly restrained, yet the patient equally deserves to be treated with the utmost respect in a gentle way that would be nothing less than expected for the treatment of a senior citizen? In our lives, each of us has faced a moral dilemma, an ethical conundrum that spares little opportunity for hedging, and yet one could make a persuasive argument strictly ruled by one’s head, or on the opposite spectrum, solely dominated by one’s heart. Countless such scenarios are played out in hospitals, halfway homes, hospices, and homeless shelters across the country when a human service professional, is faced with a challenge between head and heart. In recent years, Human Services is evolving as a line of work rising in reaction to and in expectation of the path of individual desires and a person’s tribulations (nationalhumanservices.org, 2008).
In scenario one, a staff person works among kids with developmental disabilities. The responsibility to take on additional duties for which she is not skilled falls upon her. The issue at hand presents itself as her lack of qualification, and the fact that she was not hired for added responsibilities. Consequently, the concerns that arise out of this dilemma are that she may not be properly trained for this position. Furthermore, she may not know the proper protocol of client/professional relationships concerning her additional job tasks. Lastly, exposure to a lawsuit from the children and their guardians resulting from her taking on new roles that she was not hired (or educated) to
Mariah Alvarez, Elana Payne, Sharon Smith
University of Phoenix
BSHS 301: Introduction to Human Services
Group Number: CC08BHS1F2
Professor Deborah Cujino-Deras, M.S., C.R.C.
April 24, 2008
The Ethics of the Human Services Worker
What do you do when an elderly stroke patient is demonstrating obvious signs of dementia, with uncontrollable and erratic behavior? When this patient must be firmly restrained, yet the patient equally deserves to be treated with the utmost respect in a gentle way that would be nothing less than expected for the treatment of a senior citizen? In our lives, each of us has faced a moral dilemma, an ethical conundrum that spares little opportunity for hedging, and yet one could make a persuasive argument strictly ruled by one’s head, or on the opposite spectrum, solely dominated by one’s heart. Countless such scenarios are played out in hospitals, halfway homes, hospices, and homeless shelters across the country when a human service professional, is faced with a challenge between head and heart. In recent years, Human Services is evolving as a line of work rising in reaction to and in expectation of the path of individual desires and a person’s tribulations (nationalhumanservices.org, 2008).
In scenario one, a staff person works among kids with developmental disabilities. The responsibility to take on additional duties for which she is not skilled falls upon her. The issue at hand presents itself as her lack of qualification, and the fact that she was not hired for added responsibilities. Consequently, the concerns that arise out of this dilemma are that she may not be properly trained for this position. Furthermore, she may not know the proper protocol of client/professional relationships concerning her additional job tasks. Lastly, exposure to a lawsuit from the children and their guardians resulting from her taking on new roles that she was not hired (or educated) to
References: nationalhumanservices.org. (2008). Ethical Standards of Human Service Professionals. Retrieved April 23, 2008, from http://nationalhumanservices.org Paul, Dr. Richard., & Elder, Dr. Linda. (2003). Ethical Reasoning. Dillon Beach, California: The Foundation for Critical Thinking.