ANA Code of Ethics Provision Five Review

The main points of provision five of the ANA code of ethics are as follows: section 5.1, which is moral self-respect, suggests that nurses must care for themselves as much as they care for their patients. Nurses must do their best to maintain professional respect to themselves in regards of their competence and moral character. Section 5.2, which is professional growth and maintenance of competence, suggests that nurses must continue to self and peer evaluate themselves throughout their careers. Nurses must continue to learn current, up to date nursing practices through self, peer, and higher education. Section 5.3, which is wholeness of character, suggests that nurses must develop and take into consideration their own moral perspectives when practicing in their careers. Nurses are encouraged to express their moral viewpoint when it is helpful to the recovery of their patients, but must never express moral beliefs based on social stigmas that could negatively affect patient outcomes.

Section 5.4, which is the preservation of integrity, suggests that nurses will inevitably have to deal with threats to their moral or professional integrity at some point in their careers. Nurses should do their best to maintain professional integrity when met with adversity, weather it be from uncooperative issuance companies, an unsound work environment, or from the patients themselves. When working in an unsound or unsafe work environment that violates law or the ANA code of ethics nurses must go through the proper channels to fix the problem. If a nurse feels that a procedure or treatment their patient is having conflicts with his or her own moral integrity and they cannot participate, the nurse must report they unwilling to tr...

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...l of how their decisions affect patients and the healthcare system as a whole. It stated that nurses should maintain their professional growth and competency in their professional careers. The Canadian code of ethics for registered nurses social determinates addressed more patient advocacy and getting involved in policy making. This was also addressed in the ANA code, but the Canadian code seemed to be more encouraging of nurses getting involved in policy making. It stated that nurses should advocate the necessity for healthcare to be universally accessible.

Works Cited

American Nurses Association (ANA), (2001), Code of Ethics for Nurses, American Nurses Association, Washington, D.C.

Canadian Nurses Association. (2008). Code of ethics for registered nurses. Retrieved from http://www.cna-aiic.ca/CNA/documents/pdf/publications/Code_of_Ethics_2008 _e.pdf