Nursing Code of Ethics: Be in the Know
The American Nurses Association (ANA) recently revised its Code of Ethics. Changes to the code’s nine provisions include updated language to address social media, technology, and genetics.
Be in the know as these standards are “non-negotiable” standard of practice for nurses.
- The first three provisions emphasize the fundamental values of the nursing/patient relationship
- The next three provisions address boundaries of duty and loyalty when conflicts arise with employers or colleagues
- The final three provisions address duties beyond our individual patient encounters, to the greater world around us
Here it is in a nutshell:
Provision 1: The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and unique attributes of every person.
Provision 2: The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population.
Provision 3: The nurse promotes, advocates for and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient.
Provision 4: The nurse has authority, accountability and responsibility for nursing practice; makes decisions, and takes action consistent with the obligation to promote health and to provide optimal care.
Provision 5: The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to promote health and safety, preserve wholeness of character and integrity, maintain competence, and continue personal and professional growth.
Provision 6: The nurse, through individual and collective effort, establishes, maintains, and improves the ethical environment of the work setting and conditions of employment that are conducive to safe, quality health care.
Provision 7: The nurse, in all roles and settings, advances the profession through research and scholarly inquiry, profession through research and scholarly inquiry, professional standards development, and the generation of both nursing and health care.
Provision 8: The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities.
Provision 9: The profession of nursing, collectively through its professional organizations, must articulate nursing values, maintain the integrity of the profession, and integrate principle of social justice into nursing and health policy.
Contact a Nurse License Defense Attorney in Texas to Save Your License
If you know that you have participated in unethical practices and may be facing disciplinary action by the Texas BON, it is best to consult an experienced Texas Nurse Defense Attorney before it is too late to save your license. Contact attorney Yong J. An directly at (832) 428-5679 by calling or texting 24/7.
To learn more about the code, go to:
View the Code of Ethics for Nurses