"Before nursing school, I worked as a nursing assistant and faced an ethical dilemma relating to the incompetence of one of my peers. I liked her, but she was not a good nursing assistant. She often violated protocols on the shift and caused hardships for the rest of the staff. It was tough because I didn't want to get her in trouble, but I also knew the right thing to do was to address the behaviors. I tried talking to her one-on-one to remind her of handwashing protocols and minor issues, but when she began to break the rules concerning patient safety, I knew I had to report it to my supervisor. I always want to show compassion and kindness to my colleagues, but when they make decisions that endanger patients, other staff, or the company, I have to speak up, even when it's uncomfortable."

"When I worked at the nursing home, an ethical dilemma that I frequently faced was family members who didn't want their loved one to have certain medical information or diagnosis information and asked us not to tell them or to lie about it. I always followed my belief that my duty of care was to the patient, not the family, and patients have a right to their health information so they can make informed decisions. If it were a case where a family asked me to wait to tell them something until they were present, I would consult with the physician to see if they were on board as long as the delay wouldn't harm the patient. I would never outright lie to a patient about their diagnosis."