Virtues versus Values and How They Relate to the Healthcare - Essay Example

Section/# Virtues versus Values A great deal of discussion and argument exists within the realm of politics and between social commentators regarding virtues versus values. Although it would be foolish to claim that one side or another is typified by a certain political movement, the fact of the matter is that many of the definitions of these terms and their overall relevance to our life are tempered by strongly political forces which seek to exercise a benefit from the understanding of one of these terms in a distinctly political way. As such, it will be the express purpose of this brief essay to attempt to explain both values and virtues while at the same time doing due diligence to ensure that neither one of these definitions are clouded by overtly political influences that much of the research surrounding them has been flavored by. Consequently, the research will also seek to answer when and where these concepts should be applied, to what degree, and how they might relate to a situation which might involve medical ethics. Firstly, it is necessary to define these terms. If one were to ask a stranger on the street the distinct differences between virtues and values, they may stammer to find a logical way in which these can be separated in an intelligent fashion to denote two very separate and distinct thought processes and/or meanings (Martinsen, 2011, p. 174, par. 2). However, regardless of their overall similarity, the fact remains that there is a great deal of difference between the interpretation/definition of these two terms as well as a fundamental difference in vantage point from many of the individuals that support the application/development of one over the other. Secondly, a non-biased representation of each of these terms will be attempted as nearly as is possible. For the purposes of this brief research, values will be defined to mean those things which are learned culturally and via one’s own unique experiences and environment (Buyx et al 2008, p. 760, par. 3). Accordingly, one can understand that values are more subjective as they depend on the unique lifestyle, experiences, world view, and a host of other unique factors. Furthermore, the purpose of such a definition is not to raise either values or virtues over the other but merely to provide a working definition whereby the reader can quickly draw inference regarding which is which and how they might be correctly applied in a given situation. Conversely, virtues are more universal in their definition. Due to the fact that virtues are, in fact, universal, their meanings are somewhat vaguer and help to speak to nearly all cultures and all situations. This vagueness should not be understood to mean that virtues themselves are subjective in a way similar to how values have previously been described. Rather, one should take this vagueness as an example that even though not all cultures might define courage in exactly the same way, each and every culture has a respect for such a virtue and seeks to define it using mechanisms all its own (Garcia, 2008, p.124, par. 1). What one can infer from the above definitions is that both of these constructs can exist side by side within an individual who has a particular value of understanding with respect to a given construct. Accordingly, this value could also be indicative of a virtue that the person understands and appreciates as well. In effect, it is possible to have values as a microcosm of virtue. Due to the fact that each and every person has a unique set of experiences from whence they draw inspiration, belief, guidance, and morality, it is not difficult to imagine that it can be an easy progression from a personal value to that of a universal virtue. Furthermore, with reference to ethics in healthcare, it is, of course, abundantly obvious that professionals need to maintain the highest values and virtues within their respective career in order to ensure the health, safety, and happiness of the patients with whom they come in contact on a daily basis. However, it should be strongly noted that if one is forced to choose which of these they will exhibit to the patient, it should necessarily be the virtue (Guevin, 2010, p. 471, par. 2). Due to the fact that patients increasingly come from diverse backgrounds and have diverse and multicultural experiences that help them form their own values, it is inherently foolish for a healthcare professional to attempt to foist their own values and belief systems into a given situation. Rather, a more tempered approach would be for the health care professional to consider their own value system and draw a connection between which associated virtue they might be attempting to convey and seek to convey it in this way. In this way, the healthcare professional will not be taking liberties with the perceived or unperceived value system that the patient may or may not share. An unfortunate case where personal values and medical virtue collided was exhibited in the case of a pharmacist in Washington State that refused to sell the emergency Plan B contraceptive to customers. The case known as Stormans v. Selecky was followed by a federal Supreme Court decision that ruled that the pharmacist was within his rights to refuse such a sale, and the case itself presents the reader with a clear example of how personal values can conflict with medical virtues (Spreng, 2008, p. 215, par. 1). Rather than seeking to fulfill the needs of the individual patient in question, the pharmacist fell back upon his particular and unique understanding of reproductive rights. Naturally, such a world view was heavily influenced by his environment and upbringing as a Roman Catholic. However, regardless of the ruling, it is this author’s strong opinion that the actions that the pharmacist undertook were morally reprehensible. Regardless of the particular political or religious affiliation of the healthcare professional, the fact of the matter is that the ultimate job is to seek to help the patient (Geppert, et al., 2012, p.385, par. 4). If there exists a treatment that does not require a prescription, such as Plan B, or any other such remedy, it is the responsibility of the medical professional to ensure that the individual receives what they need so that they can treat their own health in a reasonable and legal fashion (Borgstrom, et al., 2010, p. 1331, par. 2). The fact that all laws were obeyed in the instance and the pharmacist still refused to sell the drug begs the question of why a healthcare professional would be willing to work in the field at all if they are unwilling to abide by the rules that are implied with respect to free and fair disbursal of healthcare treatments. Regardless of the political or religious affiliation of the healthcare professional, it is incumbent upon all individuals involved to not only be mindful of their own particular view and understanding of morality but to be equally sensitive to and appreciative of the more universal and overarching morality that is typified by virtue. Regardless of religious experience, country of origin, personal environment/upbringing, the healthcare professional should be able to easily juxtapose their own needs and values with the greater truths and virtues that they can use to engage with the patient in question. This is not to say that there is not a strong place within the profession for having a strong belief in personal values; quite the contrary. Rather, it is incumbent upon all parties involved to be mindful of the unique needs and universalism that is exhibited within the profession and work to reflect the greater good through the universal mores and/or norms of virtue. References Borgstrom, E., Cohn, S., & Barclay, S. (2010). Medical Professionalism: Conflicting Values for Tomorrows Doctors. JGIM: Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 25(12), 1330-1336. doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1485 Buyx, A. M., Maxwell, B., & Schöne-Seifert, B. (2008). Challenges of educating for medical professionalism: who should step up to the line? Medical Education, 42(8), 758-764. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2923.2008.03112.x Garcia, J. A. (2008). Anscombes Three Theses Revisited: Rethinking the Foundations of Medical Ethics. Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies In Medical Morality, 14(2), 123-140. doi:10.1093/cb/cbn007 Geppert, C. A., & Shelton, W. N. (2012). A Comparison of General Medical and Clinical Ethics Consultations: What Can We Learn From Each Other?. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 87(4), 381-389. doi:10.1016/j.mayocp.2011.10.010 Guevin, B. M. (2010). Vital Conflicts and Virtue Ethics. National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly, 10(3), 471-480. Martinsen, E. (2011). Harm in the absence of care: Towards a medical ethics that cares. Nursing Ethics, 18(2), 174-183. doi:10.1177/0969733010392304 Spreng, J. E. (2008). Pharmacists and the "Duty" To Dispense Emergency Contraceptives. Issues In Law & Medicine, 23(3), 215-277. Read More