Ana Code of Ethics Summary
Introduction
There are nine provisions included in the ANA code of ethics. The provisions can be broken into three categories. The first category is the nurse’s ethical responsibilities to her patient which is provisions one through three. Second is the nurse’s obligation to herself, provisions four through six. The third ethical requirement for nurses is related to their relationship to the nursing profession, community, nation, and world overall. This focus is summarized in provisions seven through nine [ (American Nurses Association, 2013) ].
Provisions 1-3
The first three provisions relate to the nurse’s responsibility to treat everyone with dignity and respect regardless of that individual’s background, ethnicity, or the nature or severity of their illness, as well as making the patient the primary concern and advocating for them. There is absolutely no room for discrimination in the nursing profession. "One of the simplest principles of distributive justice is that of strict or radical equality. The principle says that every person should have the same level of material goods and services” [ (Mason, Leavitt, & Chaffee, 2012, p. 83) ]. The Bible also supports the principle of treating others with dignity and respect as stated in 1 Pet 2:17a: "Show proper respect to everyone." Another aspect of treating everyone fairly relates to showing compassion. One of the Bible verses that speaks to the compassion we are to show others is 1 Peter 3:8 "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."
Nurses should always place their patients first. I have seen many nurses over the years that have placed their own jobs and even careers in jeopardy to stand up to a physician or an organization to fight for what is right for a patient. The Bible tells us to not only care for others but to put their needs before our own. Phil. 2:3-4 states "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in
There are nine provisions included in the ANA code of ethics. The provisions can be broken into three categories. The first category is the nurse’s ethical responsibilities to her patient which is provisions one through three. Second is the nurse’s obligation to herself, provisions four through six. The third ethical requirement for nurses is related to their relationship to the nursing profession, community, nation, and world overall. This focus is summarized in provisions seven through nine [ (American Nurses Association, 2013) ].
Provisions 1-3
The first three provisions relate to the nurse’s responsibility to treat everyone with dignity and respect regardless of that individual’s background, ethnicity, or the nature or severity of their illness, as well as making the patient the primary concern and advocating for them. There is absolutely no room for discrimination in the nursing profession. "One of the simplest principles of distributive justice is that of strict or radical equality. The principle says that every person should have the same level of material goods and services” [ (Mason, Leavitt, & Chaffee, 2012, p. 83) ]. The Bible also supports the principle of treating others with dignity and respect as stated in 1 Pet 2:17a: "Show proper respect to everyone." Another aspect of treating everyone fairly relates to showing compassion. One of the Bible verses that speaks to the compassion we are to show others is 1 Peter 3:8 "Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble."
Nurses should always place their patients first. I have seen many nurses over the years that have placed their own jobs and even careers in jeopardy to stand up to a physician or an organization to fight for what is right for a patient. The Bible tells us to not only care for others but to put their needs before our own. Phil. 2:3-4 states "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in
References: American Nurses Association. (2013). Retrieved from Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements: http://nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNurses/Code-of-Ethics.pdf Lachman, V. D. (2008, October). Making ethical choices. Nursing, 43-46. doi:10.1097/01.NURSE.0000337235.95076.93 Mason, D. J., Leavitt, J. K., & Chaffee, M. W. (2012). Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care. St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Saunders.