American Nursers Association Code of Ethics

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. Nurses act to change those aspects of social structures that detract from health and well-being. Individuals who are nurses are expected to not only 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 ethical tradition of nursing is self-reflective, enduring, and distinctive. A code of ethics makes explicit the primary goals, values, and obligations of the profession.

Excerpt from the American Nurses’ Association (ANA) Code of Ethics 2017

  • Provision 1: The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and uniqueness of every individual
  • Provision 2: The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group or community
  • Provision 3: The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights 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 settings 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, professional standards development, and the generation of both nursing and health policy
  • 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 principles of social justice into nursing and health policy