An Ethical Dilemma By Artisha Floyd

Ethical Dilemma Defined An ethical dilemma is a situation that occurs when two or more moral values seem to be equally valid but contradictory and the individual is required to make the best possible choice from among them. Should I?

Situational Examples What Would you Do? You have a student who is from a single parent family. The student must work to attend college. However, the job is interfering with the student’s performance and several assignments have not been turned in. You have determined that a “D” is all the student can make when a counselor informs you that the student need a “C” to qualify for an academic scholarship.’ A Teacher’s ethical dilemma.

Situational Examples What Would you Do? You are a social worker at a certain agency. Your supervisor just lost his wife to cancer and now has to raise his young child on his own. He hasn’t been coping well with the situation. Medical bills and the passing on of his wife has left his funds depleted. About a month later, you find him stealing money from the agency. He asks you not to tell anyone. A social worker’s ethical dilemma.

You have to decide what to do That’s the hard part about ethical dilemmas. There’s no set right or wrong answer. You must discern the situation and go with the right thing.

Ethical Dilemmas that You May Experience Should clients have to pay? When you work with clients in a fee for service agency, what should a worker do when client is unable to pay? Social Workers are uniquely positioned to address fee concerns of clients because one of the main functions of social work is to pay attention to environmental forces that create and have an effect on problems in living.

Ethical Dilemmas that You May Experience You work at a long-term care facility as the social work intern. It is your second week there and you notice that one of the residents randomly shouts throughout the day and night. His shouts are very disruptive to the residents as well as staff. The social worker opts to increase his medicine intake and to have him sent away to a correctional facility. Should you (as a new intern) side with the social worker, or with your “gut feelings?”

You have to decide The Social Worker must decide what to do.

Ethical Dilemmas with Coworkers A social worker can experience ethical dilemmas not only with clients, but with other social workers as well. Examples include: stealing money from agency Engaging in sexual occurrences with clients Failure to report a case of child abuse

Ethical Dilemmas with Coworkers What is a social worker to do when she discovers that a colleague engages in unethical or unprofessional conduct? Choices Do not report offense Take an informal approach and respectfully confront colleague Tell supervisor about actions committed. Whistle-blowing

Self-Awareness Ethical Dilemmas are issues and problems that we encounter and face everyday. We must learn about ourselves first before we can effectively make decisions in the midst of ethical dilemmas.