One ethical issue that may arise when working with a patient in a healthcare setting is
conflicting beliefs. As stated in standard 7 in the Ethical Standards for Human Services
Professionals by the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS), a human services
professional must “ensure that their values or biases are not imposed upon their clients”
(National Organization for Human Services, 2024). A personal example of conflicting beliefs
when working with a patient in the emergency department was the time I had a neo-Nazi as a
patient. As someone who is strongly against Nazi ideology and other similar fascist ideologies as
well as being mixed race and a member of the LGBT+ community, it was ethically challenging
to provide care to someone who wanted those like me and my loved ones to cease to exist. Since
I live in a relatively conservative area, this is an ethical dilemma that I will encounter regularly.
One legal issue I may encounter is knowing client rights. Wisconsin State Legislature
Chapter 51.61 outlines patient rights in mental health treatment. Some of the rights outlined in
this legislature include informed treatment, including planning their treatment with a provider
and refusing certain elements of treatment unless mandated by a court, the right to file
grievances, rights regarding chemical and physical restraints and isolation, the ability to
withdraw from treatment and determining what qualifies as incompetent regarding the ability to
withdraw from treatment, and labor laws of patients in treatment (Wisconsin State Legislature,
2024). Knowing my clients' rights and advocating on their behalf if their rights were violated is a
vital part of my professional role.
Knowing federal and state laws regarding minor children is important for maintaining
ethical and legal practices. In my home state, Wisconsin, the age at which children have more
autonomy and confidentiality regarding treatment is 14 years old or older. Looking over the
Wisconsin DHS rights of minors regarding inpatient treatment, some examples of differences in
conflicting beliefs. As stated in standard 7 in the Ethical Standards for Human Services
Professionals by the National Organization for Human Services (NOHS), a human services
professional must “ensure that their values or biases are not imposed upon their clients”
(National Organization for Human Services, 2024). A personal example of conflicting beliefs
when working with a patient in the emergency department was the time I had a neo-Nazi as a
patient. As someone who is strongly against Nazi ideology and other similar fascist ideologies as
well as being mixed race and a member of the LGBT+ community, it was ethically challenging
to provide care to someone who wanted those like me and my loved ones to cease to exist. Since
I live in a relatively conservative area, this is an ethical dilemma that I will encounter regularly.
One legal issue I may encounter is knowing client rights. Wisconsin State Legislature
Chapter 51.61 outlines patient rights in mental health treatment. Some of the rights outlined in
this legislature include informed treatment, including planning their treatment with a provider
and refusing certain elements of treatment unless mandated by a court, the right to file
grievances, rights regarding chemical and physical restraints and isolation, the ability to
withdraw from treatment and determining what qualifies as incompetent regarding the ability to
withdraw from treatment, and labor laws of patients in treatment (Wisconsin State Legislature,
2024). Knowing my clients' rights and advocating on their behalf if their rights were violated is a
vital part of my professional role.
Knowing federal and state laws regarding minor children is important for maintaining
ethical and legal practices. In my home state, Wisconsin, the age at which children have more
autonomy and confidentiality regarding treatment is 14 years old or older. Looking over the
Wisconsin DHS rights of minors regarding inpatient treatment, some examples of differences in
