Conflict of interest: its relationship to integrity in the academic setting

Seeking balance to dialectic tensions in teaching through philosophic inquiry

PURPOSE

To propose a plausible means of cultural criticism of nursing's educational environment for preparing new nurses by exploring epistemological tensions and their consequences from the perspective of educators.

DESIGN

Naturalistic, qualitative, philosophic.

METHOD

Six nurse educators teaching in a university-based traditional BSN program were interviewed in one southeastern state of the United States about their experience as creative, innovative teachers during 1991.

FINDINGS

Three major themes were reflections of the positivist work culture of teaching, reconciliation of tensions, and repercussions from personal choices. Educators reconcile dialectic tension by suppression, subordination, or equilibrium and are influenced by their sense of tension and willingness to be risk takers.

CONCLUSIONS

Philosophical conflicts are inherent in nursing when commitments to empirical knowledge and personal meaning are both valued. A plausible means for moving beyond this tension is to increase awareness of the dynamics and consequences that occur when perspectives seem contradictory. Schools of nursing socialize future nurses. Calling into question the context in which the professional nursing culture is transmitted and reproduced is necessary if nurses of the future are to be in the forefront of changing health care.

Perceptions of scientific misconduct in nursing

Recently, scientific misconduct and ethical problems in research have been widely discussed. Some have created embarrassment and shaken the scientific community. In response to concerns about the adequacy of the scientific community's self-regulations, attempts are being made to refine policies and procedures for handling allegations of misconduct.

Developing an ethical basis for student-teacher interaction

This article first reviews the literature on the development of ethical content within nursing curricula and its impact on nursing education. This is followed by a discussion of faculty responsibility for the preparation of ethically competent graduates. Faculty behaviors that appear to be related to ethically sound education practices are discussed along with examples of positive and negative behaviors. The article concludes with five principles to use in developing an ethical basis for student-teacher relationships. These principles include mutual respect, open communication, demonstration of linkages between ethical principles and behavior, facilitating students' understanding of their behaviors, and recognition of legitimate individual differences in ethical positions.

Ethics and mental health service delivery under managed care

The delivery of mental health services under managed care takes on different dimensions affecting the ethical considerations of providers and patients. In this article, we explore five key issues that are especially relevant to the psychiatric population: conflict of interest, confidentiality, patients' rights, underserved patients and allocation, and levels of ethical analysis. Implications for nursing are also discussed.