Lesson 2:

Virtue Ethics

Introduction

Virtue Ethics has come to be considered as one of the big three ethical approaches alongside
deontology and utilitarianism. Virtue Ethics asks instead what type of person should I be? Virtue ethics is
the term given to an approach that has a focus on character. It focuses on the character of the actor or
agent. Virtue ethics is sometimes referred to as agent-based ethics. This is to be contrasted with act –
based ethics which the primary focus is on the act. Act-based ethics asks the question “what should I
do?” while agent-based ethics tends towards asking “what sort of person should I be?” although it should
be noted that not all versions of virtue ethics make this distinction.

Learning Objectives:

1. Demonstrate caring as the core of nursing, Love of God, Love of country and love of people
2. Manifest professionalism, integrity and excellence
3. Project the positive professional image pf a Filipino Nurse

At the start of the lesson, you are to take preassessment test to see how much background
information and knowledge you have.
This lesson is self – instructional. You can read, analyze concepts and ideas presented and relied on
them. The Activities and Self – check questions will help you assess how you progress as you go through
the lesson.
Your answers to the Self – Check Questions and Activities may be self – evaluated by your facilitator if
you so desire. These will be part of your formative evaluation. Do not write your answers in the lesson.
Your answers should be written in a separate notebook.
The answer Key to the Self – Check Questions and Activities are found at the end of the lesson. The
post assessment will be given in a separate booklet upon completion of the lesson. It will serve as the
summative evaluation of your performance.
Remember, you are to work on the lesson independently. I shall not be around to supervise you as
you go through each lesson. It is expected that you will make the most of this lesson and grow
professionally in your desire to become a competent Nurse, determined to make a difference.

Pre – Assessment Test

Multiple Choice
Directions: Read the sentence carefully. Choose the best answer. Write the letter of your choice.
1. How did Aristotle think that virtue could be acquired?
a. It is inborn
b. One must have a conversion experience in which one experiences the good directly
c. Virtue is acquired through education and training
d. It is impossible to become virtuous
 2. How do virtuous people differ from vicious people?
a. In their behavior c. In their perceptions
b. In their thoughts d. All of the above
3. What do people seek above all else, according to Aristotle?
a. Eudaimonia c. pleasure
b. Ataraxia d. power
4. Which of the following is a statement of the priority problem?
a. Virtue ethics wrongly defines duty in terms of virtue instead of vice versa
b. A person can be virtuous without having all her priorities straight
c. The consequences of an action sometimes have priority over one's intentions
d. Virtue ethics lacks a way of ranking moral principles in terms of importance
5. What does moral understanding require, according to virtue ethics?
a. The application of absolute rules to particular cases
b. Calculation about the effects of one’s actions
c. An exceptional amount of intelligence
d. Emotional maturity
6. Virtue Ethics was created by which philosophe?
a. Aristotle c. Socrates
b. Plato d. Immanuel Cant
7. Virtue Ethics focus on the _______________ individual.
a. action c. Experience
b. mind d. Character
8. A theory of morality that makes virtue the central concern is known as:
a. virtue consequentialism c. virtue ethics
b. virtue command theory d. teleological ethics
9. In ethics a virtue ethicist asks:
a. “What should I do?” c. “What is the moral law?”
b. “What should I be?” d. “What is the virtuous rule?”
10. For Aristotle, a person living a life of reason is living a life of:
a. excess c. struggle
b. Virtue d. nature

Virtue Ethics in
Nursing
Profession
 Profession, in its etymological root, means to declare aloud to proclaim something publicly
 Thereby, professionals make a profession of the specific kind of activity and conduct to which they
commit themselves and to which they can be expected to conform.
 The essence of profession then is, this act of profession of promise, commitment and dedication to
an ideal
 Clearly, a profession is much more than a job, it is an identity.
 To be a professional is to assume and maintain a life long role of dedication to the welfare of others
– a role which confers dignity, status and power.
 Inherent in professionalism is a commitment to excellence
 Destructive to professionalism is expectation of personal gain and neglect of the self-discipline and
learning required to sustain professionalism.
The Human Virtue
 Firm attitudes, stable dispositions, habitual perfections of intellect and will that govern our actions,
order our passion and guide our conduct according to reason and belief (faith)

Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) said that the

good person is the virtuous person. Thus,
for Aristotle, ethics is concerned with the
virtues of what is virtuous.

For Aristotle, as for Socrates and Plato

before him, the question is what makes a
person virtuous, or “what traits of character
make one a good person?”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrvtOWEXDIQ
Virtues
 are traits of character or habits of
disposition to think and act in
ways that are good; to do what is morally right.
 The manner healthcare is delivered often depends on the kind of person the healthcare professional
is. To transcend mere duty, one must be virtuous.

Theological Virtue
faith
hope
charity
Cardinal Virtue
prudence
justice
temperance
fortitude
Moral Acquired Virtue
fidelity
honesty
humility

compassion
justice
courage
Virtues of Health Care Provider

1. Fidelity – faithful devotion to duty.

Nurses are ethically mandated to be loyal, fair and truthful with their patients.
Additionally, they also act as advocates for their patients. While this mandate appears at
first glance to be straightforward, families often request that nurses withhold information
from their patient because of their concern that knowledge of particular aspects of the
patients condition might have a negative impact on their recovery.
All healthcare professionals are to stick to fidelity as they serve the needs of their
patients, that is the very purpose why they became healthcare providers.
Fidelity is derived from the Latin word fidelitas which means “faithfulness”
It also means faithfulness to one’s obligations, duties, and responsibilities. He must
exercise fidelity. (example: Pledge, in giving aid and healthcare to the patients that’s
what you are called for, it is your job to do it faithfully.)

a. Honesty – essential part of behaving with

decency and professional integrity.

Healthcare providers are called to be honest with

their profession- which means honesty to their
patients.
Honesty is derived from the Latin word honestus
which means “honor”.
Literally, it refers to people who are holding honorable or respectable positions. (He is supposed
to be sincere, virtuous, trustworthy, fair, and honorable and so on. He should not cheat or steal
anything from his patients.)
In connection to being honest, a healthcare provider must also be loyal. In terms of giving
information, such as the patients status/illness, to the patient’s relative in a way that they will
understand and accept wholeheartedly. (never cheat or steal from anyone of your patients.
Because the truth shall set you free. Always tell the truth about his or her condition in a pleasant
and proper way.)

b. Integrity - It is important in healthcare

records and documentation because it provide
accuracy and completeness of work

c. Humility - Willingness to assess oneself and

one’s limitations, the ability to acknowledge gaps in
one’s knowledge and openness to new ideas.

d. RESPECT
 Being considerate. Discrimination should be
avoided, should be culturally sensitive to the
ethnic or racial backgrounds.

e. COMPASSION
Ability of the nurse to actively and deeply
imagine the suffering a patient is going
through

f.PRUDENCE
Making the best use of resources to give the
best possible quality of care to patients.

g. COURAGE (FORTITUDE)
Require the nurse to have a strong will to do
his tasks.

h. TRUTH
The candid disclosure and discussion of
information not only helps patients to
understand and deal with what is happening to
them but also fosters and helps to maintain
trust

i. LOVE
It is needed to be able to have deep
communications to the patients

j.FAITH
Nurses should balance their care to the
patients. Having also spiritual care which
involves serving the whole person which
means serving physically, emotionally, socially
and spiritually.
k. HARDWORK
Requires self discipline and effort. It is a
strong challenge but most of the time it gives
best results.

l. SOCIAL JUSTICE
Is the equal distribution of resources among
the people that need the resources

m. Justice
The moral virtue that consists in the constant
and firm will to give their due to God and
neighbor.
Justice toward men disposes one to respect
the rights of each and to establish in human
relationships the harmony that promotes
equity with regards to persons and to the
common good
n. Temperance (Self – control,
Moderation
The moral virtue that moderates the attraction of
pleasures and provide balance in the use of
material goods.
It ensures the will’s mastery over instincts and
keep desires within the limits of what is
honorable.

The opposite vices to these virtues are:

1. Fidelity to trust Untrustworthy
2. Benevolence Malevolence, Ill Will
3. Intellectual Honesty Dishonesty
4. Courage Cowardice
5. Compassion Indifference, Mercilessness
6. Truthfulness Untruthfulness, Lying

Conclusion
Without Virtue, the delivery of healthcare is only a business contract. With its
presence, it becomes a covenant of trust.
 VICES
 Is considered immoral, depraved or degrading act to all the members in a
society.
 It comes from the latin word vitium with means “failing or defect”.
 Vice is considered the product of a repeated sinful act.
 (Vices in tagalog is “bisyo”. Vices are to be not done and are avoided.)
 HABITS: constant, easy way of doing things acquired by the repetition of the
same act. “All that we have is habit.” (To explain further, there are two
distinctions of habits.) E.G. Our daily routine, when we wake up in the morning
and you immediately wear your shoes and start jogging around outside your
house

1. Authority and Power

There is a practice of authority between
nurses and their peers but sometimes they
think they have more control and become
abusive.

2. PRIDE
o Make people think highly of themselves. They might think that they are
always right and they don’t want to listen to their patients or their peer’s
suggestions
o Pride is defined as “…a feeling of gratification arising from association with
something good.” It is also understood as superiority. A person drunk with
pride always thinks that he is always the best. It is the opposite of
humility, being humble one must forget about his achievements and focus
on how to help his patient come to terms with recover
3. GREED
Greed is an excessive desire for wealth or possessions.
*Its Latin equivalent is avaritia which means “avarice or covetousness”-
extreme greed for wealth. A greedy healthcare provider might steal, or display
violence against his patients.
4. FRAUD
It is defined as deliberate; deceit; trickery;
an intentional perversion of truth for the
purpose of inducing another reliance upon
it to part with some valuable thing
belonging to him, or to surrender a legal
right. Applied in the healthcare profession,
it becomes a grave offense on the part of
the nurse to harm the dignity and health
of his patient.
 HABITS
 Entitative Habits are habits of being. ( Connatural qualities, like, strength, beauty, and
such)
 Operative Habits means habit of acting. (Tendencies we have developed in us from
repeated acts.) ex. VIRTUES OF THE HEALTHCARE PROVIDER

7 Habits of a Highly Effective People

1. Be proactive in regards to results – based measurerment.
As the industry shifts from fee-for-service models to results-oriented models, it
will be necessary to show that what you’re doing is working; by implementing
measurements now, you’re getting ahead of the curve

2. Begin with the end in mind

Once you start measuring results, identify how your own quality of care
measures up against national averages, along with individual patient
satisfaction levels. Use this to identify potential problems before they become
major issues.

3. Put first things first with patient engagement

A patient who is engaged is proven to achieve better outcomes, as they are
more invested in getting better. Foster patient engagement by involving them
in care plans and highlighting their improvements along the way.

4. Think win-win
Health care providers often find themselves walking the line between taking the
time to build patient relationships (which builds engagement) and using their
time efficiently. Find ways to make that balance easier, such as through
implementing new technology that will reduce time spent doing things such as
paperwork.

5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

In order to have engaged patients, we must first practice active listening. Is the
patient reluctant because they are scared of pain? Of change? Of the possible
cost? By understanding their fears, we can better overcome them and move
them into a more engaged mode.

6. Synergize.
The health care industry is moving towards a more holistic approach to caring
for patients. Instead of visiting the physician when something is wrong, the
focus is on preventative care or on addressing long-term problems through
 therapy. By making strategic partnerships with providers who specialize in such
areas, you can maximize efficiencies and patient results.

7. Sharpen the Saw

Most health care professionals already take the time to continuously improve
themselves, as CEUs are required to continue their licensure. But it’s important
for your administrators to also take time to improve on their skills. By learning
more effective business skills, you can have your clinic or hospital running
better more efficiently and with increased patient satisfaction and results

Core Values of a
Professional
Nurse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVF0273iHus

Values – are enduring beliefs or attitudes about the

worth of a person, object, idea, or action. Values
are important because they influence decisions and
actions, including nurses’ ethical decision making.
1. Care - The provision of what is necessary for
the health. Welfare, maintenance, and
protection of someone or something.
Care is our core business and that of
our organizations; and the care we deliver
helps the individual person and improves the
health of the whole community.
Caring defines us and our work. People receiving care expect it to be right
for them consistently throughout every stage of their life.
2. Compassion - Sympathetic pity and concern
for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
Compassion is how care is given through
relationships based on empathy, respect and
dignity.
It can also be described as intelligent
kindness and is central to how people
perceive their care.
3. Competence - the ability to do something successfully or efficiently.
Competence means all those in caring roles must have the ability to
understand an individual’s health and social needs.
It is also about having the expertise,
clinical and technical knowledge to deliver
effective care and treatments based on
research and evidence.

4. Communication - the imparting or

exchanging of information or news.
Communication is central to
successful caring relationships and to
effective team working. Listening is as
important as what we say. It is
essential for ‘No decision without me’.
Communication is the key to a good
workplace with benefits for those in our
care and staff alike.

5. Courage - Courage enables us to do

the right thing for the people we care
for, to speak up when we have
concerns.
It means we have the personal strength
and vision to innovate and to embrace
new ways of working
6. Commitment - A commitment to our
patients and populations is a
cornerstone of what we do. We need to
build on our commitment to improve the
care and experience of our patients.
We need to take action to make this
vision and strategy a reality for all and
meet the health and social care
challenges ahead.

Case Study
Danielle is a third - year student nurse half - way through her final clinical placement on Azalea
ward, a busy surgical unit. Like all student she has had a mentor in each of her previous
placements but she has never before met anyone quite like, Belanna, her mentor on Azalea
ward. It is a very busy ward yet unlike most of the other qualified nurses. Danielle has worked
with, Belanna seems always to know what to do whether the situation. She always has a kind
to say to everyone from the most difficult and demanding patient to the most arrogant and
abnoxious of doctors, from the ward cleaner to the hospital chief executive and even in the
most challenging of situations she always seems to be able to find a way to ensure that
everyone’s dignity to upheld, that no one gets left unattended and that no one feels neglected
or humiliated. Belanna is kind, compassionate and caring but does not flinch from confronting
situations that might otherwise undermine those deals of practice. Yet she has no pretentions
and does not think that what she does is anything special in fact she thinks that she does not
do anything different from that which anyone in her position would do. She is always seeking
feedback from students, patient, families and co workers and goes out of her way to ensure
that everyone who arrives on Azalea ward has a positive experience. At first Danielle through
that this was too good to be true, or that it was all an act that would collapse at the first sign
of frustration but after 6 weeks on the placement, Danielle recognize that there is something
about Belanna that marks her out as a particularly good nurse. Danielle decides that Belanna
represents the type of nurse that she (Danielle) wants to become.

Activity: Make a Reflection Paper

1. What makes Danielle decide that Belanna represents the type of nurse she wants to
become.
Post Assessment Test

Multiple Choice
Directions: Read the sentence carefully. Choose the best answer. Write the letter of your choice.
1.How did Aristotle think that virtue could be acquired?
a. It is inborn
b. One must have a conversion experience in which one experiences the good directly
c. Virtue is acquired through education and training
d. It is impossible to become virtuous

2. How do virtuous people differ from vicious people?

a. In their behavior c. In their perceptions
 b. In their thoughts d. All of the above
3. What do people seek above all else, according to Aristotle?
a. Eudaimonia c. pleasure
b. Ataraxia d. power
4. Which of the following is a statement of the priority problem?
a. Virtue ethics wrongly defines duty in terms of virtue instead of vice versa
b. A person can be virtuous without having all her priorities straight
c. The consequences of an action sometimes have priority over one's intentions
d. Virtue ethics lacks a way of ranking moral principles in terms of importance
5. What does moral understanding require, according to virtue ethics?
a. The application of absolute rules to particular cases
b. Calculation about the effects of one’s actions
c. An exceptional amount of intelligence
d. Emotional maturity
6. Virtue Ethics was created by which philosophe?
a. Aristotle c. Socrates
b. Plato d. Immanuel Cant
7. Virtue Ethics focus on the _______________ individual.
a. action c. Experience
b. mind d. Character
8. A theory of morality that makes virtue the central concern is known as:
a. virtue consequentialism c. virtue ethics
b. virtue command theory d. teleological ethics
9. In ethics a virtue ethicist asks:
a. “What should I do?” c. “What is the moral law?”
b. “What should I be?” d. “What is the virtuous rule?”
10. For Aristotle, a person living a life of reason is living a life of:
a. excess c. struggle
b. Virtue d. nature

Self - Assessment
Before you end this chapter, evaluate your current competency by answering the checklist that
follow. Put a check (/) mark to best describe your current level of mastery of each list of
competency.
I can do I can do this but I am learning I can
Competence this very I need to learn how to do not do
well more and this this yet
(Expert) Improve (Apprentice) (Novice)
(Practitioner)
Define Virtue Ethics
State the Core Values of the
Professional Nurse
Discuss the trait of a Virtuous
Nurse
Demonstrate caring as the core of
nursing, Love of God, Love of
country and love of people
Manifest professionalism, integrity
and excellence
Project the positive professional
image pf a Filipino Nurse
Resources:
1. Harold W. Baillie, John F. Mcceehan, Thomas M. Garrett, Rosellen M. Garrett 2018, Health
Care Ethics Sixth Edition, Mind Mover Publishing House, Inc. Manila
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrvtOWEXDIQ
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVF0273iHus