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Discuss how this informs your ongoing development towards being a…
Discuss how this informs your ongoing development towards being a veterinary surgeon (veterinarian)
4 principlism approach= ethical dilemma concerning respect for patient autonomy
determining the decisional capacity of elderly clients
similar to animals who have no autonomy
the owner has the final decision (admittedly under veterinary guidance) as the animal's voice is silent
unlike human patients, whereby many papers publish on the importance on respecting patient autonomy - these papers do not apply to veterinary medicine as animals do not have autonomy and are subject to owner's decison making process.
this situation mirrors in some way the lack of autonomy seen with veterinary patients where the decision making process for the animals wellbeing is relegated to its owner.
Even if I am thinking I am acting in the animal's best interest, I will never be able to be certain that I am.
This situation reflects similar situations i will come across as a vet as patient welfare outcome is dependent upon multiple stakeholders and the best solution may for the welfare of the patient may not be possible due to conflict of interest.
although the situations in practice will be different- I imagine that the process of managing an ethical dilemma will be similar
Identify the ethical issue.
Identify and evaluate alternative courses of action.
Seek help if necessary to resolve the dilemma.
Decide on a course of action.
Next time I will not assume that I am doing the right thing simply because I think it is the right thing to do for that person.
utilitarinism ethics is a good way to firstly identify the different stakeholder interests and identify which are competing.
With experience, I expect to continually improve competences such as staying calm, exploring alternative solutions by using different ethical frameworks in order to choose the best suited solution.
Although i did not think i would benefit from analysing this experience I was wrong as i can see the benefit of hindsight is sometimes necessary to take that emotional distance that allows me to reflect more objectively on my actions. I can now see why becoming better at ethical reasoning will make me a more resilient vet.
this has changed my aspiration from becoming a vet that does the right thing to a more realistic vision of being a vet that acts fairly, and that is accepting about not being able to control the outcome of situations.
Beyond skills, future dilemmas will allow myself to define who I am as a vet as well as who I am as a person.