Nursing
One of the state’s regulations and nursing standards on practice that applies to your role in this case study.
Standards can be defined as benchmarks of achievement that are set in order to attain a certain level of excellence. Nursing standards of practice provide a guideline to the knowledge, judgment and skills that are needed by nurses for them to practice safely. The nursing standards are meant to motivate the nurses by giving them a desired and achievable level of performance against which they compare it with the actual performance.
The regulatory standards in America e.g. California states that nurses are expected to be competent in their work and therefore they are held responsible for each and every action they take. The nursing standards are very crucial to the nursing profession since they promote, guide and direct professional nursing practice (Danasu, 2007 No.6). By following the regulatory standards, professional nurses are able outline what the profession expects of them as well as providing them with a framework for developing competencies.
For instance in my situation as explained in the case study, the nursing standards will be very useful to me since it will guide me on what to do in such a difficult situation. As a professional nurse from California, it will be my responsibility to apply my professional knowhow in order to protect and save the patient’s life. However, this would only be possible after having consultations with the doctor and the relevant parties involved.
Identifying a nursing code of ethics, that applies to this case study
A particular code of ethics that would apply in this situation would be: Nurses ensure that individuals receive sufficient data on which to base approval for care and related treatment. Hence the family and next of kin in this case were well informed on what criterion and extent of the situation was, before operating on the patient.
The main aim of professional standards is that it ensures that clients receive high quality services and that nursing care is promoted. The provision of excellent nursing practice reflects that some ethical standards are also practiced. Professionalism and ethics go hand in hand and therefore when one fails the other one is largely affected. Other than just applying their scientific knowledge in treating patients, nurses are also required to apply some ethics in their profession whereby they must be able to think critically and offer solutions to their clients who always depend on them.
This code of ethics encourages other nurses in this noble profession to follow every rule that is used to determine an action for a patient’s well fare as it is in this case, hence being professional. Therefore as a nurse in this situation I would be able to adhere and abide to all rules that require consent. In aIDition appear as a witness to avoid any illegal queries against consent or otherwise.

One of the nursing codes of ethics that would be applicable in the case study is that I would first seek available resources in order to formulate my ethical decisions. The available resource in this case would be the doctor who is in charge of Mr. E. I would therefore rely on his advice through our consultations in order to come up with a conclusive report on how to well take care of the patient (Danasu, 2007 No.6)
Analyzing whether it would be ethical for the doctor to put the patient on a ventilator
According to my view, the doctor’s decision to put the patient on a ventilator would be very ethical. This is because acting within his powers and more so he would be doing so in order to save the patient’s life. Even though the patient is against the idea of the ventilator, the doctor’s decision would in line with the code of ethics whereby it states that doctors are sometimes required to critically think and depend on their professional knowledge.

Analyzing if it is ethical for the patient’s brother to authorize a ventilator
The brother’s decision of authorizing a ventilator would be very ethical, since he had been authorized by the patient to make medical decisions for him. Furthermore authorization of the ventilator is also in the best interest of the patient since it will improve his health status thereby preventing his death.
Would it be ethical to go against the patient’s wishes in this case?
It would be unethical for the doctor to go against the wishes of the patient; however in very few circumstances is he obligated to take contrary action e.g. in true concern of the welfare of the patient. This may be done in the presence of a medical staff as witness. Hence the consent forms remain legally binding in this case an implied consent would be used as it an emergency case (Danasu, 2007 No.6).
What rights to patients have regarding determining what kind of care they receive?
The patients have the right to receive the care they receive by consent of the forms of operations, one instance is the use of the revocation consent when the patients of have the wish to change the place they want to receive medical care.
Since the board of nursing regulations is mandated to regulating actions of employees it tends to revise the statutes that govern all health concerns. This includes the nurses’ autonomy whereby it involves determining performance under their nurses’ ethical standards for compliance etc.
The nurse’s obligation to report the incident regarding the doctor giving information to the information without written permission is mandatory but, there is a gap as well, which allows the doctor to use alternative means to save a patient’s life under no influence and in the presence of next of kin’s consent.
The extent to which the nurse is obligated to report the conduct in this situation:
The nurse is obligated to report the extent of action only when the doctor breaks the protocol required to ascent the consent forms and next of kin regulations. This so as one of the nurses code of ethics requires them to evaluate the best course for a patient’s health outcome in health cases. In aIDition a nurse can only report violations of code of ethics that endanger the patient’s health.
One of the nurse’s obligations is to protect and save the patient’s life, but what if the patient’s wishes are the opposite?
In such a case there are alternative ways in which the nurse can convince the next of kin to consent to the opposite of the patient’s wishes e.g. when the patient is at the verge of death and there is a viable solution to dealing with it. But if the patient has the sanity of mind and makes a decision contrary to the nurses’ expectation then the nurse has no obligation but to insist until she or he gets fulfill the obligations of a nurse. In this case is to protect and save life.
What are the nurse’s responsibilities to the patient even if the nurse’s opinions are different?
The nurse’s responsibility is to uphold fidelity to keep promises and commitments, respect others, use paternalism in extreme conditions/dire ones, veracity, Beneficence-(continue performing ones obligations diligently) (Danasu, 2007 No.6).
References
R.Danasu. (2007, December 22). Standard nursing care. The nursing journal of India , VOL.XCVIII No.6.