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Reflection paper on importance of nursing code of ethics in the practice of nursing
Reflection paper on importance of nursing code of ethics in the practice of nursing
Nursing code of ethics principle
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The Code of Ethics for Nurses in an important set of guidelines that provides nurses with specific rules and regulations for interacting with patients, colleagues, and society in an ethical, honest, respectful, and effective manner. Nurses should strive to adhere to at all times throughout their career. Having a code of ethics provides health care professionals to provided to their patients with ethical, high quality care.
Ensign (2004) confirms the importance of having and adhering to a code of ethics as follows:
A code of ethics states a profession’s goals, values, and level of commitment to the public and the community which it serves. The development and promulgation of a code of ethics sets a minimum standard of practice to which members are held accountable. The code not only directs practice, but also offers a means of self-regulation by fellow professionals and the development of trust within the community they serve.
The Code of Ethics for Nurses allows health care professionals to have a better understanding of what is expected of them on a daily basis, while also providing assistance when deciding what is right and wrong. While applying the code of ethics in daily life can be challenging at times, students in the field of nursing will greatly benefit from becoming familiar with The Code of Ethics for Nurses early in their career. Susan Stone (2000) illustrates the importance of The Code of Ethics for Nurses, stating that “ In the case of sometimes confusing and questionable nursing situations, it is invaluable to the new health care provider to have a moral and ethical guideline to follow” (p. 49).
Applying the Code of Ethics for Nurses may not always be easy, but it is crucial for nursing students to devel...
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...lishing Company. Retrieved from ehis.ebscohost.com
Edge , R. S., & Groves, J. R. (2006). Ethics of health care. New York: Delmar.
Ensign, M. R. (2004). Ethical issues and the elderly: Guidance for eldercare providers. Retrieved from http://www.ensignlaw.com/Ethical Issues and Elderly.html
Health and Senior Services. (2001). Code of ethics for nurses. Retrieved from http:// health.mo.gov/living/lpha/phnursing/ethics.php
Lachman, V. (2009). Practical use of the nursing code of ethics: Part i. Ethics, Law, and Policy, 18, 55-57. Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/DocumentVault/Ethics/Practical- Use-of-the-Nursing-Code-of-Ethics-Part-I.pdf
Stone, S. (2000). The purpose of a code of ethics and code of conduct for nursing students. Retrieved from http://www.nsna.org/portals/0/skins/nsna/pdf/ pubs_code_of_ethics_and_code_of_conduct.pdf
A code of ethics provides a standard by which nurses conduct themselves and their practice, observing ethical obligations of the profession and providing quality care. To achieve its purpose, a code of ethics must be understood, internalized, and used by nurses in all aspects of their work” (Aliakvari, 2015, p. 494).
In the code of ethics, the very first ethical principles that nurses are expected to uphold in order to exemplify that they are competent professionals are autonomy, beneficence, and nonmaleficence. That is, nurses as professionals are expected to advocate for their patients while preserving their respect and dignity and
The Code of Ethics for Nurses was created to be a guide for nurses to perform their duties in a way that is abiding with the ethical responsibilities of the nursing profession and quality in nursing care. The Code of Ethics has excellent guidelines for how nurses should behave, however; these parameters are not specific. They do not identify what is right and wrong, leaving nurses having to ultimately make that decision. Ethics in nursing involves individual interpretation based on personal morals and values. Nursing professionals have the ethical accountability to be altruistic, meaning a nurse who cares for patients without self-interest. This results in a nurse functioning as a patient advocate, making decisions that are in the best interest of the patient and practicing sound nursing ethics.
Registered nurses abide by a code of ethics as set forth by the American Nurses Association. Some of the ethics nurses live out are: commitment to the patient, practice with compassion and respect, accountability and responsibility for owns actions and collaborating with other health care providers (Code of Ethics for Nurses, 2015). Nurses practice the code of ethics on a routine basis by employing the six fundamental concepts established by the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN).
The nursing code of ethics is a formal statement of the ideals and values of nursing and ethical principles that serve as standards for nurses‟ actions. Jurisprudence is the scientific study of law and law is defined as those rules made by humans, which regulate social conduct in a formally prescribed and legally binding manner. Nursing ethics and law are very important because they are concerned with the provision of services that have an impact on human health and life which can cause dilemma during practice and if not handled adequately can lead to negative impact on the client and all the people concerned with the care the client. Therefore Standards must be set to guide the conduct of the nurse in making proper and adequate decisions for the safety and protection of the client, by so doing the nurse protects herself or himself from litigation (Burke, K. 2000).
Fowler, M. D., & American Nurses Association (2008). Guide to the code of ethics for nurses: Interpretation and application. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.
Davis J. Anne Diane Marsha and Aroskar A. Mila (2010). Ethical Dilemmas and Nursing Practice. Pearson
The main points of provision five of the ANA code of ethics are as follows: section 5.1, which is moral self-respect, suggests that nurses must care for themselves as much as they care for their patients. Nurses must do their best to maintain professional respect to themselves in regards of their competence and moral character. Section 5.2, which is professional growth and maintenance of competence, suggests that nurses must continue to self and peer evaluate themselves throughout their careers. Nurses must continue to learn current, up to date nursing practices through self, peer, and higher education. Section 5.3, which is wholeness of character, suggests that nurses must develop and take into consideration their own moral perspectives when practicing in their careers. Nurses are encouraged to express their moral viewpoint when it is helpful to the recovery of their patients, but must never express moral beliefs based on social stigmas that could negatively affect patient outcomes.
Advocating and doing what is ethically right by providing the right service for the individuals within the community. In working on the class readings and discussions, I can’t help but piece together my community project with the ANA (2015), Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. The fundamental values and commitments of us as nurses. Doing what is right, and advocating for the individuals we serve in the community. The second provision is all about the nurses’ commitment to the patient, family, and/or community, and the third provision is about the nurse promoting, advocating, and protecting the patients’ health and rights. To give one example that would be applicable to the practice of the nurse administrator would be to facilitate education and compliance with these provisions (ANA, 2015). According to Rosenkoetter and Milstead (2010), practicing with ethical conduct is one of the responsibilities for nurse educators. There is an integral responsibility to preserving current codes that are relevant to nursing practice (Carroll, 2015). As of this time in my clinical experiences, I have yet to come across an ethical dilemma. However, I do believe that my community project demonstrates my desire to do what is ethically right for the community and providing the proper service that everyone deserves, even at the end of life. In evaluating the last
Professional Code of Conduct for Nurses Chantel Findley Nova Southeastern University Professional Code of Conduct The classical term for the word ethics is, moral philosophies that rule an individual’s or group behavior or action. The American Nurses Association used ethics to write the Code of Ethics for Nurses with these values and visions in mind: “(1) As a statement of the ethical obligations and duties of every person who chooses to enter the profession of nursing. (2) To act as the nonnegotiable standard of ethics.
American Nurses Association. (2015, January 2015). Code of Ethics for Nurses With Interpretive Statements, 1-76. Retrieved from
Thompson, I. E., Melia, K. M., & Boyd, K. M. (2006). Nursing Ethics: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.
The American Nurses Association created guidelines for the profession including, a set clear rules to be followed by individuals within the profession, Code of Ethics for Nurses. Written in 1893, by Lystra Gretter, and adopted by the ANA in 1926, The Code of Ethics for Nurses details the role metaethics, normative ethics, and applied ethics have within the field (ANA, 2015). Moral obligation for an individual differs within professions than it does within an individual’s personal life, so the code of ethics was written to establish rules within the profession. The moral obligation to provide quality care include the fundamental principles of respect for persons, integrity, autonomy, advocacy, accountability, beneficence, and non-maleficence. The document itself contains nine provisions with subtext, all of which cannot be addressed within this paper however, core principals related to the ethical responsibilities nurses have will be
Garrett, T. M., Baillie, H. W., & Garrett, R. M. (2010). Health care ethics: Principles and problems (5thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Ethics asses the values, morals, and principles of nurses. Legal codes or laws are rules established by our government. It’s important that nurses have a clear and comprehensive understanding of ethical and legal codes within their career. The understanding of these codes is essential for nurses to safely practice and to protect their patients. Nurses must abide by these principles or face the consequences of legal action. These principles include autonomy, utilitarianism, confidentiality, and many others. Autonomy is the agreement to respect ones right to determine a course of action, while utilitarianism is what is best for most people as defined in American Nurses Association. In order to give you a