Rels 300 / Nurs October 2014 Reflective Journal #5: Responding to the Ebola Crisis

Reflective journaling supports your awareness of diversity in possible choices and value perspectives your ability to respect and appreciate the moral commitments and beliefs of others self-awareness of your own moral values, perspectives, beliefs and choices, and your own personal and professional moral agency Why do we do reflective journals?

…travelled with a Christian aid group to a health care clinic in Liberia to help contain the spread of Ebola Within the first few weeks, 2 Americans had developed Ebola When Ian returned to Canada he was quarantined for a month. “It was absolutely terrifying. I’ve never feared for my life as much as I did in Liberia.” Despite that experience, MacKay feels compelled to return to Liberia year-old nursing student, Ian MacKay,

The Texas patient who contracted Ebola in Liberia has now died Ebola screening and quarantine centres have now been set up in 6 Canadian airports With an incubation period of up to 21 days, Ebola may not be accurately diagnosed when early symptoms present As Canadians know from our experience with SARS 10 years ago, health care providers may be at risk

Should health care providers feel obligated to care for persons who may have Ebola? Are there circumstances in which it might be ethical to refuse to provide care? Would one’s ethical duties be affected by workplace safety issues? Educators and health care providers may struggle to balance a range of seemingly conflicting obligations when faced with a contagious epidemic ◦ Obligations to oneself; one’s family; one’s patients or students; one’s colleagues and profession Should we assume a duty of care?