Nursing

Thursday, October 23, 2025

4:30 PM - 5:30 PM Pacific Time

Location: A103-104

Brenda J. Barnum, MA, BSN, RNC-NIC, HEC-C (she/her/hers)

Clinical Ethicist
Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Studio City, California
Shika Kalevor, MBE RN HEC-C (she/her/hers)

Clinical Ethicist
Children's Minnesota Hospital
Minneapolis, Minnesota
LB

Linda Breslin, DPS, RN

Assistant Professor
Alden March Bioethics Institute at Albany Medical College
Cohoes, New York
Emily Leuthold, BSN RN HEC-C

Clinical Ethicist
Sanford Health
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Ethical Certainty in Uncertain Times

This session examines how nurses and healthcare ethicists can find grounding in ethical certainty while caring for patients on the margins of society in times of systemic and political uncertainty. Through review of a case study involving an undocumented immigrant navigating barriers to safe discharge—we will explore how the ANA Code of Ethics provides reliable guidance even when outcomes remain uncertain. Participants will explore barriers to safe discharge planning, the role of immigration status in access to care, and the impact of systemic inequities on both patients and the healthcare team. Participants will reflect on themes of justice, dignity, moral distress, and advocacy, and consider how to uphold professional integrity when faced with systemic constraints and inequities.

Learning Objectives:

After participating in this conference, attendees should be able to:

Apply the ANA Code of Ethics to complex cases involving marginalized patient populations.
Analyze how systemic inequities and political uncertainty influence patient care, access to resources, and provider moral distress.
Develop strategies for fostering moral resilience and ethical certainty in practice, even when patient outcomes remain uncertain or imperfect.