2025
Ethics and Deontology in Nursing
Name: Ethics and Deontology in Nursing
Code: FIL14516L
3 ECTS
Duration: 15 weeks/78 hours
Scientific Area:
Philosophy
Teaching languages: Portuguese
Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese
Regime de Frequência: Presencial
Presentation
A Curricular Unit allows the development of competences in the scope of Ethics, of the ethical values underlying the fundamental principles of acting ethically correctly.
Sustainable Development Goals
Learning Goals
We want students:
1. To delimit the scope of Ethics.
2. To identify the ethical values underlying the fundamental principles of ethically actions.
3. To understand the place of a general Theory of Duties within the Ethics.
4. To distinguish great historical trends with regard to the duties.
5. To relate bioethical questions with Nursing profession.
6. To understand the regulatory standards of conduct for Nursing as an application of ethical principles to their professional practices.
7. To know current professional situations as well as the complexity of those who benefit of their care.
8. To develop the ability to justify ethically the decisions to be taken in specific professional situations.
9. To improve the sensitivity and the critical discernment essential to take care of other human beings especially patients as persons, without discrimination of any kind and understanding every man and every woman inserted in his or her family and in the wider community.
1. To delimit the scope of Ethics.
2. To identify the ethical values underlying the fundamental principles of ethically actions.
3. To understand the place of a general Theory of Duties within the Ethics.
4. To distinguish great historical trends with regard to the duties.
5. To relate bioethical questions with Nursing profession.
6. To understand the regulatory standards of conduct for Nursing as an application of ethical principles to their professional practices.
7. To know current professional situations as well as the complexity of those who benefit of their care.
8. To develop the ability to justify ethically the decisions to be taken in specific professional situations.
9. To improve the sensitivity and the critical discernment essential to take care of other human beings especially patients as persons, without discrimination of any kind and understanding every man and every woman inserted in his or her family and in the wider community.
Contents
I - Ethics as a disciplinary scope of Philosophy
II - Ethical values and agency principles
III Nursing and bioethical issues
IV - Deontology as a field of Ethics
V - Ethical dilemmas and team decision making
VI - Nursing professionals guidelines and codes
II - Ethical values and agency principles
III Nursing and bioethical issues
IV - Deontology as a field of Ethics
V - Ethical dilemmas and team decision making
VI - Nursing professionals guidelines and codes
Teaching Methods
a) Exposure (to introduce concepts, themes and ethical issues);
b) Hermeneutics of texts;
c) Discussion and argumentation.
Digital resources, including scientific databases, collaborative tools, videos and the Moodle platform, support learning, communication, assignment submission and feedback. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools must comply with the lecturer's guidelines and the University of Évora Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (Order No. 34/2026), promoting their ethical, critical and responsible use as learning support while safeguarding authorship, academic integrity and students' competence development.
b) Hermeneutics of texts;
c) Discussion and argumentation.
Digital resources, including scientific databases, collaborative tools, videos and the Moodle platform, support learning, communication, assignment submission and feedback. The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools must comply with the lecturer's guidelines and the University of Évora Guidelines for the Use of Artificial Intelligence (Order No. 34/2026), promoting their ethical, critical and responsible use as learning support while safeguarding authorship, academic integrity and students' competence development.
Assessment
Students can decide to have a Continuous Assessment through a written assignment and a group oral presentation (50% + 50%) or a Final Assessment through a written test (100%). Students who do not obtain a grade equal to or higher than 9.5 will be subject to a appeal assessment in accordance with the Regulations of the University of Évora.
If deemed necessary to assess the extent to which the student has acquired the knowledge and competencies envisaged for the course unit, the teaching team may require the student to attend an oral examination, pursuant to paragraph 13 of Article 110 of the University of Évora Academic Regulations, with the safeguards provided for in paragraph 4 of Article 116 and paragraph 1 of Article 118 of the same Regulations being ensured. The oral examination shall account for 50% of the final grade for the course unit.
If deemed necessary to assess the extent to which the student has acquired the knowledge and competencies envisaged for the course unit, the teaching team may require the student to attend an oral examination, pursuant to paragraph 13 of Article 110 of the University of Évora Academic Regulations, with the safeguards provided for in paragraph 4 of Article 116 and paragraph 1 of Article 118 of the same Regulations being ensured. The oral examination shall account for 50% of the final grade for the course unit.
Teaching Staff
- Anabela Pereira Coelho [responsible]
Accreditations and Certifications
