Nursing's Code of Ethics
Article Outline
I am writing in response to the Guest Editorial by Cecil King, MS, RN, CNOR, APRN, titled “Primum non nocere: above all [or first] do no harm” (October 2009, Vol 90, No 4). As a nurse educator and certified perioperative nurse, I understand nursing's need for a well-defined and developed code of ethics. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics1 serves as nursing's formal articulation of the values and beliefs of the nursing profession and provides nurses with a framework for ethical decision making. It is interesting to note that many nurses claim to be ignorant of the existence of the ANA Code of Ethics or believe it is a document that is intended for use only by nursing students.2
The students enrolled in my Nursing Perspectives and Legal Issues course are all required to purchase a copy of The ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. I am always disappointed to see a student carrying a copy of this valuable document with the “used” label attached. This implies that a former nursing student sold the book back to the bookstore. I am left to wonder why a future nurse would choose to do this. Is it because he or she did not see the inherent value of the document, or is it perhaps a foreshadowing of future apathy toward the profession?
In his editorial, King pointedly asks, “How many of my perioperative nursing colleagues are knowledgeable of the Perioperative Explications for the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses?”3(p490) I had to admit that I was not. I quickly referred to the Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices and found the Perioperative Explications for the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses prominently presented within the first few pages of the text.4 The explications provide perioperative nurses with a framework for ethical decision making.
Nurses cannot let familiarity with the ANA Code of Ethics fade as they travel through their careers. We have an obligation to whatever patient population we serve to frequently revisit and review the Code of Ethics. In an attempt to keep perioperative nurses familiar with the Code of Ethics and the Perioperative Explications, AORN could consider including this as a module in the Periop 101™ course. This comprehensive online program provides a core curriculum to new perioperative nurses. Such an inclusion would direct both new and seasoned nurses to revisit the Code of Ethics and make the importance of the Perioperative Explications readily apparent. This is one way AORN could keep the ANA Code of Ethics and the Perioperative Explications alive and well in the hearts of perioperative nurses.
References
- Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. Washington, DC: American Nurses Association; 2001;
- . Nursing Today: Transitions and Trends. 6th ed.. St Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier; 2009;
- . Primum non nocere: above all [or first] do no harm. AORN J. 2009;90(4):489–492
- Exhibit C: Perioperative explications for the ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses. In: Perioperative Standards and Recommended Practices. Denver, CO: AORN, Inc; 2009;p. 33–64
Editor's note: Periop 101 is a trademark of AORN, Inc, Denver, CO.
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PII: S0001-2092(09)00983-1
doi:10.1016/j.aorn.2009.12.014
© 2010 AORN, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Refers to article:
- Primum Non Nocere: Above All [or First] Do No Harm
