NSG 130 - Professional Nursing Concepts

Life and death decisions are a part of nursing, and ethics are therefore fundamental to the integrity of the nursing profession. Every day, nurses support each other to fulfill their ethical obligations to patients and the public, but in an ever-changing world – there are increased challenges.

Nurses must always stress human rights protection and uphold the values and ethics of the profession. The purpose of this position statement is to bring the topic of human rights to the forefront and provide nurses with specific actions to protect and promote human rights in every practice setting.

(Revised 2021) Nurses have four fundamental responsibilities: to promote health, to prevent illness, to restore health and to alleviate suffering. The need for nursing is universal.

Familiar words, what do they mean?

The Center is committed to addressing the complex ethical and human rights issues confronting nurses and designing activities and programs to increase the ethical competence and human rights sensitivity of nurses. Through the Center, ANA's abiding commitment to the human rights dimensions of health care is demonstrated.

IntegratedEthics® (IE) is a comprehensive approach to managing ethics in health care organizations. It represents a radical departure from the traditional ethics committee model. The goal of IE is the continuous improvement of ethics quality.

To practice competently and with integrity, today's nurses must have in place several key elements that guide the profession, such as an accreditation process for education, a rigorous system for licensure and certification, and a relevant code of ethics.