Untitled - Bellin College

BELLIN COLLEGE CATALOG2011-12American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses(Approved July 2008)1. The nurse, in all professional relationships, practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity,worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status,personal attributes, or the nature of health problems.• Respect for human dignity• Relationships to patients• The nature of health problems• The right to self-determination• Relationships with colleagues and others2. The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group, or community.• Primacy of patient’s interests• Conflict of interest for nurses• Collaboration• Professional boundaries3. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient.• Privacy• Confidentiality• Protection of participants in research• Standards and review mechanisms• Acting on questionable practice4. The nurse is responsible and accountable for individual nursing practice and determines the appropriatedelegation of tasks consistent with the nurse’s obligation to provide optimum patient care.• Acceptance of accountability and responsibility• Accountability for nursing judgment and action• Responsibility for nursing judgment and action• Delegation of nursing activities5. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity andsafety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth.• Moral self-respect• Professional growth and maintenance of competence• Wholeness of character• Preservation of integrity6. The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining, and improving healthcare environments and conditionsof employment conducive to the provision of quality healthcare and consistent with the values of theprofession through individual and collective action.• Influence of the environment on moral virtues and values• Influence of the environment on ethical obligations• Responsibility for the healthcare environment7. The nurse participates in the advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education,administration, and knowledge development.• Advancing the profession through active involvement in nursing and healthcare policy• Advancing the profession by developing, maintaining, and implementing professional standards inclinical, administrative, and educational practice• Advancing the profession through knowledge development, dissemination, and application to practice6