Application: Ethics at St. Michael's

How do you make an ethical decision? What guides your thinking and helps you through a dilemma you may be faced with in your professional or personal life? Individuals may use a wide range of methods to help them make an ethical decision. This may include personal values, codes of ethics, or societal norms. Models of ethical decision making can help guide you through ethical dilemmas that test your moral compass. Your examination of the case of St. Michael's Hospital provides an opportunity to apply decision-making models to ethical dilemmas and understand the complexity of ethics in practice.

To prepare for this assignment:

• Read Chapter 6 in The Ethics Challenge in Public Service.
• Read the case study "A Controversial Gift to St. Michael's " and think about how models of ethical decision making can be used to guide your thinking. Evaluate the connection between ethical leadership and processes of ethical decision making at both the individual and institutional levels.
• Analyze and apply models of ethical decision making and the different guidelines (e.g., values, consequences, principles) for judging what is ethical.
• Choose one of the models of ethical decision making suggested in Chapter 6 of The Ethics Challenge in Public Service.

The assignment (1–2 pages):

• Briefly describe the ethical dilemma facing the leaders of St. Michael's Hospital.
• Choose one of the models of ethical decision making suggested in Chapter 6 of The Ethics Challenge in Public Service.
• Apply the model of ethical decision making you selected to the ethical dilemma at St. Michael's Hospital.
• Justify your response with the literature and Learning Resources.

Resources attached: Pages in Chapter 6 and "A Controversial Gift to St. Michael's"