Introduction
The mandate to interview a prospective nurse places the interviewer in a human resource management position such that ethics controlling the management behavior of a human resource manager guide the practice of the interviewing registered nurse (Sullivan, 2012). In practice, ethical decisions are defined by both the legal and moral perspectives acceptable in any society (Pozgar, 2012). While a health care facility regards a registered nurse with the responsibility of hiring, it is the obligation of the registered nurse to act as an advocate of guarding the institutional values and standards being bound to ethically oversee the recruitment process. In this regard, the nurse is construed to be guided by objectivity, honesty and consistency when making decisions about the selection process (Sullivan, 2012). This short report is a case study exploring the ethical dilemma in selecting which nurse to retain as a practical nurse in an interview of three qualified registered nurses.
Ethical Considerations in the Case Study
While considering the provided case, the interviewing nurse is faced with an ethical dilemma of which nurse to retain because of previous knowledge of the personal behavior of one of the interviewees (Connelly, 2005). Considerations that a human resource manager, in this case, the practice nurse conducting the interview, is required to make when hiring, include being transparent with respect to the information relating to the job and the hiring institution. In addition, the interviewer should consider making judgments regarding the ability of the nurses to perform their job obligations (Sullivan, 2012). In consideration of the case, the qualifications and practical experience assist in determining whether any of the interviewees is capable of meeting the job requirements. There are several factors that facilitate in defining the considerations of which of the interviewees to retain and hire (Force, 2005). Among them include autonomy of the interviewees, hands-on experience for job placements that are essentially practical, as is the case in this study, and academic qualification.
Ranking the Order of the Candidates and Justification of the Decision on Ranking
Based on the ethical considerations made above, John is the leading candidate, followed by one of the other practical nurses, with who the interviewer has no past familiarity with, and then the last practical nurse with little experience. The interviewing nurse only knows John’s character through hearsay and cannot affirm his actual behavior unless they work together. In events where the interviewer has personal knowledge regarding the interviewee, it is ethically right to request assistance from other equitable personnel to one’s qualification and experience in the institution to perform the interview in order to bring forward nonbiased results. The basis of hiring should be on qualification with respect to meeting the needs of the vacant post. It is notable that the social knowledge of an individual forms part of the reasons to retain one on employment and not in the selection process (Force, 2005). Autonomy plays a major role in this, especially the relationship between the management and an employee. In an interview, factual data can be used to eliminate an interviewee on the basis of intuitions regarding moral conduct. In nursing practice, a clearly stipulated code of conduct for all registered nurses in virtually all countries exists (Pozgar, 2012). Considering the impeccable references and qualifications, John Thomas should be hired.
Conclusion
Ethical dilemmas face many hiring personnel with the majority being influenced by prior knowledge of some of the interviewees. Ethical considerations require to be made on factual or statistical details and not on hearsay that cannot be confirmed. Selection decisions should be based on qualifications and experience in meeting the objectives stipulated in the vacant position.
References
Connelly, L. (2005). Welcoming New Employees. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 37 (2), 163-164.
Force, M. (2005). The relationship between effective nurse managers and nursing retention. Journal of Nursing Administration 35(7/8), 336-341.
Pozgar, D. (2012). Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals, (3rd Ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Sullivan, J. (2012). Effective leadership and management in nursing, (8th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.