Etical Dilemma

[Guest862922, LPN, RN]

Hello Everone,

I have a serious ethical dilemma. I work for staffing agency. I have a special assignment. I take care of a patient who is actively dying .The patient's nurse is also the patient's POA which I found kinda unusual.This is not a homecare setting, its a small religious facility, have two patients. The patient is also under hospice care. She has glionlastoma in her brain which progresses real fast literally day by day. Based on the evening shift nurse report she gets confused at times which is indicated with her diagnosis.She has terrible pain especially at night. So last Friday night I administered the prescribed Morphine and Ativan when she complained about terrible pain and she was very restless. She had a good night sleep, she was alert and fully oriented in the morning, pain subsided, felt rested.

So the nurse who is her POA sent me a text requesting not to give the Morphine to the pt because "it is messes up her mind"

Personally I think there is a personal conflict of interest there. I understand that the pt and the nurse have been friends for a long time, they became friends before she became her nurse. But I think that relationship should not influence her decision making as a POA. The meds were prescribed with the pt full understanding and accepting.

I feel that I want to stay away from this case because I can not watch this patient's suffering based on this nurse's decision based on her own emotions which I think negatively effecting her nursing judgement. But staying away might cause to loose this case totally because this nurse also the manager there...

What do you all think?

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

You followed prescribed orders. Your patient benefited from your actions. It is a conflict of interest. Lose this case, and the job if necessary.

[BabyFood26]

You followed prescribed orders. Your patient benefited from your actions. It is a conflict of interest. Lose this case, and the job if necessary.

100% agreed. This is not going to be the last time you run into a conundrum of this sort. It does not sound like a healthy work environment for you to be involved in.