Question

1. Describe the purpose of the Code of Ethics for Nurses.
2. addressing how you see yourself using the Code of Ethics for Nurses in your future practice as a professional nurse.
   

Answer 1

Code of ethics

# Introduction

Ethics is an integral part of the foundation of nursing. Nursing has a distinguished history of concern for the welfare of the sick, injured, and vulnerable and for social justice. This concern is embodied in the provision of nursing care to individuals and the community. Nursing encompasses the prevention of illness, the alleviation of suffering, and the protection, promotion, and restoration of health in the care of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Individuals who become nurses are expected not only to adhere to the ideals and moral norms of the profession, but also to embrace them as a part of what it means to be a nurse. The Code of Ethics for Nurses developed by the American Nurses Association (ANA) makes explicit the primary goals, values, and obligations of the profession.

# The ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses serves the following purposes:

* It is a succinct statement of the ethical obligations and duties of every individual who enters the nursing profession.

* It is the profession’s nonnegotiable ethical standard.

* It is an expression of nursing’s own understanding of its commitment to society.

# The Code of Ethics for Nurses

consists of two components: the provisions and the accompanying interpretive statements. There are nine provisions that contain an intrinsic relational motif: nurse to patient, nurse to nurse, nurse to self, nurse to others, nurse to profession, and nurse and nursing to society.

# Why Do Nurses Need a Code of Ethics?

For those entering the nursing profession, the Code of Ethics serves as a guide. It acts as a non-negotiable standard of ethics for nurses. It also acts as a reminder of nurses' commitment to society. The code requires nurses to continue with their learning and evidence-based practice. If societal values and morals change, the code of ethics also may change.

# Importance of code Ethnics

For those entering the nursing profession, the Code of Ethics serves as a guide. It acts as a non-negotiable standard of ethics for nurses. It also acts as a reminder of nurses' commitment to society. The code requires nurses to continue with their learning and evidence-based practice

# Principles of the Nursing Code of Ethic

Revised in 2015 to include 9 provisions, the ANA’s nursing code of ethics now includes interpretative statements that can provide more specific guidance for nursing practice.

Currently, the nurse’s code of ethics contains 9 main provisions:

1. The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and unique attributes of every person.

2. The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, community, or population.

3.The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health, and safety of the patient.

4. The nurse has authority, accountability, and responsibility for nursing practice; makes decisions; and takes action consistent with the obligation to provide optimal patient care.

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.

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.

7. The nurse, in all roles and settings, advances the profession through research and scholarly inquiry, professional standards development, and the generation of both nursing and health policy.

8. The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public to protect human rights, promote health diplomacy, and reduce health disparities.

9. The profession of nursing, collectively through its professional organization, must articulate nursing values, maintain the integrity of the profession, and integrate principles of socialJustice into nursing and health policy.

The Code is particularly valuable in today’s healthcare environment because it clearly and eloquently reiterates the fundamental values and commitments of the nurse (Provisions 1–3), identifies the boundaries of duty and loyalty (Provisions 4–6), and describes the duties of the nurse that extend beyond individual patient encounters (Provisions 7–9).

To serve as the most useful aid in challenging situations, The Code's interpretive statements provide specific guidance for practice. The statements respond to the contemporary context of nursing and recognize the larger scope of nursing’s concern for societal health.

The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements is the social contract that nurses have with the U.S. public. It exemplifies our profession's promise to provide and advocate for safe, quality care for all patients and communities. It binds nurses to support each other so that all nurses can fulfill their ethical and professional obligations. This Code is a reflection of the proud ethical heritage of nursing; one which will continue on, whatever challenges the modern health care system presents.