The Collaborate Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) taught me about many different facets of ethical considerations that I hadn’t previously examined or reflected upon. I was able to learn more about the institutional aspect of new research and how evidence-based practice can be implemented once it has gone through all of the appropriate channels. I also had not previously considered interventions that involved children, and how their consent could be obtained. This training helped to fill in some of the gaps that I had concerning best ethical practices.

The film Miss Evers’ Boys illustrated how much can go wrong with unethical practices. The men involved in the Tuskegee study did not sign an informed consent and were not given the treatment for syphilis once it became widely available. There was no intention to help the men recover, with the focus solely on the progression of the disease at hand. The core elements of ethical consideration for nurses were not adhered to, as there was no autonomy or beneficence, and the withholding of medical treatment was maleficence towards the patients. The men were manipulated into participating with the promise of medical care and free meals, but their primary ailment was not treated which led to the unnecessary death of many participants. It is important for nurses today to reflect on the unethical practices that were allowed to happen, so that we may be motivated to maintain as much patient autonomy and beneficence as possible and prevent any unnecessary harm from befalling our patient population. In this way, we can participate in improving care and best practices for our patients.