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Ethical Scenario 10
You are a third-year nursing student and you have just seen one of the doctors come out of the store room and put three syringes and needles in his pocket.
Explain what actions you would take in this scenario.
Average Candidate Response
It is strange to see a doctor put syringes and needles in their pocket. It is unusual but he might be using it for a patient. If he is not using it for a patient, it is considered stealing. Stealing, particularly from a doctor who is meant to set good examples, is not acceptable and as the nursing student I would report it to the GMC.
It is strange to see a doctor put syringes and needles in their pocket. It is unusual but he might be using it for a patient. If he is not using it for a patient, it is considered stealing. Stealing, particularly from a doctor who is meant to set good examples, is not acceptable and as the nursing student I would report it to the GMC.
Excellent Candidate Response
There are many reasons for why a doctor may put syringes and needles in his pocket. He may need to pick up other equipment or resources to tend to a patient. Another reason may be because he may need it for a patient he is seeing later on, where he will not have access to these resources. Since this situation does sound quite unusual, and as a nursing student who has less authority and knowledge than a doctor, it would be appropriate to politely ask the doctor for which patient this equipment is for and for what condition it will be used to treat or manage. Asking with an interest may make it seem less so an accusation, as one may not be certain that the doctor is performing unlawful actions.
If the doctor fails to provide a satisfactory answer, it would be important to escalate this matter to a senior nurse or consultant to ensure that preventable patient or employee harm does not occur. In future, it may be appropriate to review access to store rooms, to further prevent misuse of limited NHS resources.
There are many reasons for why a doctor may put syringes and needles in his pocket. He may need to pick up other equipment or resources to tend to a patient. Another reason may be because he may need it for a patient he is seeing later on, where he will not have access to these resources. Since this situation does sound quite unusual, and as a nursing student who has less authority and knowledge than a doctor, it would be appropriate to politely ask the doctor for which patient this equipment is for and for what condition it will be used to treat or manage. Asking with an interest may make it seem less so an accusation, as one may not be certain that the doctor is performing unlawful actions.
If the doctor fails to provide a satisfactory answer, it would be important to escalate this matter to a senior nurse or consultant to ensure that preventable patient or employee harm does not occur. In future, it may be appropriate to review access to store rooms, to further prevent misuse of limited NHS resources.