RN Nursing · Ethics and Decision Making · Practice question
A nurse is integrating the code of ethics when making a decision about the best response to a challenging situation. What information will the nurse be able to obtain from this document?
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Guidelines that will help the nurse clarify his or her own values
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A model that will guide the nurse to make an ethical decision
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The principles that are most valued in nursing practice
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Legal guidelines to help the nurse make an ethical decision
Answer & explanation
Correct: The principles that are most valued in nursing practice
A professional code of ethics, such as the American Nurses Association (ANA) Code of Ethics for Nurses, articulates the core principles and values that are most fundamental to nursing practice. These include principles such as autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, justice, fidelity, and veracity. The code serves as a statement of the profession's moral commitments and provides a framework of values to guide practice. It does not function as a values-clarification tool designed to help an individual nurse identify their personal values — that is the purpose of values-clarification exercises. Nor does it provide a step-by-step ethical decision-making model, which is a separate construct often taught alongside but distinct from the code itself. The code also does not provide legal guidelines; law and ethics, while related, are separate domains, and the code carries professional rather than legal authority. Understanding that the code of ethics outlines the principles most valued in the profession helps nurses distinguish it from other professional documents and use it appropriately when navigating moral challenges in practice.
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