Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretative Statements

The Code of Ethics for Nurses establishes the ethical standard for the profession and provides a guide for nurses to use in ethical analysis and decision-making. It is non-negotiable in any setting, neither is it subject to revision or amendment except by formal process of revision by the American Nurses Association. The Code of Ethics for Nurses arises from within the long, distinguished, and enduring moral tradition of modern nursing in the United States. It is foundational to nursing theory, practice, and praxis in its expression of the values, virtues and obligations that shape, guide, and inform nursing as a profession. 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, communities, and populations. This is reflected, in part, in nursing’s persisting commitment to the welfare of the sick, injured, and vulnerable in society and for social justice issues. Nurses act to change those aspects of social structures that detract from health and well-being. Individuals who become nurses, as well as the professional organizations that represent them, are expected not only to adhere to the values, moral norms, and ideals 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 for the nursing profession makes explicit the primary obligations, values, and ideals of the profession that inform every aspect of the nurse’s life.

The Code of Ethics for Nurses serves the following purposes: It is a succinct statement of the ethical values, obligations, duties, and professional ideals of nurses individually and collectively. It is the profession’s nonnegotiable ethical standard. It is an expression of nursing’s own understanding of its commitment to society. Statements that describe activities and attributes of nurses in this code of ethics and its interpretive statements are to be understood as normative or prescriptive statements expressing expectations of ethical behavior. The Code of Ethics for Nurses also expresses the ethical ideals of the nursing profession and is, thus, both normative and aspirational. While this Code articulates the ethical obligations of all nurses, it does not predetermine how those obligations must be met. In some instances nurses meet those obligations individually; in other instances a nurse will support other nurses in their execution of these obligations; and at other times those obligations can and will only be met collectively. The Code of Ethics for Nurses addresses individual as well as collective nursing intentions and requires each nurse to demonstrate ethical competence in professional life. It is recognized that nurses provide services to those seeking health as well as those responding to illness, to students and to staff, and to those in healthcare facilities as well as in communities and greater populations. The term practice refers to the actions of the nurse in any role or setting, whether paid or as a volunteer, including clinical care provider, advanced practice nurse, educator, administrator, researcher, policy developer, or other forms of nursing practice. Thus, the values and obligations expressed in this Code of Ethics for Nurses apply to nurses in all roles, in all forms of practice, and in all settings. The Code of Ethics for Nurses is a dynamic document. As nursing and its social context change, changes to the Code are also necessary. 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. The first three provisions describe the most fundamental values and commitments of the nurse; the next three address boundaries of duty and loyalty; the last three address aspects of duties beyond individual patient encounters. Each provision is accompanied by interpretive statements that provide greater specificity for practice and are responsive to the contemporary context of nursing. Consequently, the interpretive statements are subject to more frequent revision than are the provisions. Additional ethical guidance and details can be found in the position or policy statements of the ANA or its constituent member associations and affiliate organizations that address clinical, research, administrative, educational, public policy, or global and environmental health issues.

The origins of The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements reach back to the late 1800s in the foundation of the American Nurses Association, the early ethics literature of modern nursing, and the first nursing code of ethics, formally adopted in 1950. In the 65 years since the adoption of that first professional ethics code, nursing has changed as its art, science, and practice have developed, as society itself has changed, and as awareness of the global nature of health and the determinants of illness has grown. While The Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements is a reflection of the proud ethical heritage of nursing, it is also a guide for all nurses now and into the future.

The Code of Ethics for Nurses


Provision 1

The nurse practices with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth, and personal attributes of every person, without prejudice.

 Provision 2

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

Provision 3 

The nurse promotes, advocates for, and protects the rights, health and safety 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 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 action, establishes, maintains, and improves the moral environment of the work setting and the conditions of employment, conducive to quality health care.

Provision 7

 The nurse, whether in research, practice, education, or administration, contributes to the advancement of the profession through research and scholarly inquiry, professional standards development, and generation of nursing and health policies.

 Provision 8 

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

 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.

http://www.homecaremissouri.org/mahc/documents/CodeofEthicswInterpretiveStatements20141.pdf