Ana Code of Ethics

ANA Code of Ethics

Erica Kiesner

Rasmussen College

Author Note

This research is being submitted on January 21, 2016 for Mary Maine’s Intro to Critical Thinking, Informatics, & Ethical Concepts in Prof Nursing.

A code of ethics stands as a central and necessary mark of a profession. It functions as a general guide for the profession’s members and as a social contract with the public that it serves. The group that would eventually become the American Nurses Association first discussed a code of ethics in 1896. When the ANA code of ethics was first developed, it was used as a model by nursing organizations elsewhere in the world, so it had considerable influence both in this country and internationally.

I have chosen Provision Four, which states “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”. (Association, 2016) The framework for the inclusion of accountability and responsibility in the nursing ethical code is based upon many of the observations made by Florence Nightingale in the late 1800s. Nightingale dedicated her life to the advancement of the patient’s physical, emotional, and environmental well-being. Nightingale’s advances were the direct result of actions that improved quality care and the provision of education to those caring for persons of ill health.

In addition to a historical context dating back to Nightingale’s time, accountability and responsibility for nursing care have a more recent context in the current laws related to licensure, contracts, and malpractice. Increasingly frequent lawsuits against health care providers that result in high monetary awards to injured plaintiffs make the application of nursing skill and judgment, including delegation of tasks, even more challenging. Nurses who lack competency or who fail to provide appropriate professional nursing care may be...