Monday May 19, 2014
Susan Morgan
Code of Ethics Paper
Most professional healthcare organizations have defined a mission statement, a code of ethics, and core values. These three documents must be agreement with each other and work together to define the organization. A mission statement communicates the overall purpose of the organization, and uses concepts such as philosophy or distinctive factors (Babnik, Breznik, & Dermol, 2014). A code of ethics is defined as “one of the characteristics of a profession. It is defined by the profession through the professional association and serves to inform members of that profession and society about the profession’s expectations in ethical matters” (Kikuchi, 2005). Finally, core values are the chosen principles or virtues on which importance is placed (Fremgen, 2009). Here we will discuss these aspects of the American Nurses Association (ANA), as well as the relationship between the organizations goals, social responsibility, and the congruence between the ethical values and those of the professionals who belong to the organization.
The nurse, in all professional relationships, practice 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. The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group or community. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth. The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining and improving health care environments and conditions of employment conducive to the provision of quality health care and consistent with the values of the profession through