NURSING CODE

OF ETHICS
PROJECT
Lexi Gassman
Senior Seminar
For the full code of ethics visit :
https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only
Frames of Social
Justice and CST
■ Human Dignity
■ Rights and Responsibilities
■ Preferential Option for Poor
■ Family, Community, and
Participation
Potential Outside Influence
■ Religion
Ethical Issues that Arise in Nursing

■ Disclosing Medical Information

– Telling the truth to a patient vs.
disclosing their information to other
coworkers and patient’s families that
have not being given consent to know
– Patients should be protected under
HIPPA laws that would prevent the nurse
from giving out this personal information
Ethical Issues that Arise in Nursing

■ Incompetence
– When a nurse sees ineptitude in a fellow coworker and doesn’t know if they
should stay silent or tell someone
– Nurses often times get into a situation where they need to protect the patient,
but they also want to protect they coworker
Code of Ethics Application to
Disclosing Medical Information

■ Provision 1
– Relationship with patients
■ Provision 2
– Primacy of the patient’s interests
■ Provision 3
– Patient’s rights to privacy and
confidentiality
■ Provision 5
– Duty to self and others
Code of Ethics ■ Provision 1
Application to – Relationship with colleagues

Incompetence ■ Provision 4
– Authority, accountability, and
responsibility
■ Provision 6
– Safe environment
– Moral virtue and ethical obligation
■ Provision 9
– Integrity of the profession
Real Life Example

■ A shooting just occurred in a mall Pittsburgh near the

hospital I currently am employed at
■ Two people are injured and one is in critical condition.
– You find out that the patient who is in critical
condition is the person that caused the shooting
– This person will die if they don’t get immediate
attention when they arrive

■ What should I do?

■ Is it ethically okay to refuse to treat this patient knowing
they will die without my help?
Potential Results of
Actions to Ethical Issues
■ Fired
■ Probation
■ Punishment
Summary and Questions
■ Every profession has a code of ethics that should be followed
■ Different professions will have professional face different ethical dilemmas

■ Before this assignment, did you ever think about the ethical decisions you will
have to make in your future career?
■ Do you feel confidence in the knowledge and skills Seton Hill has provided that
you’ll be able to make the ethical choice, even when it is hard?
■ How will you, personally, know that you made the right choice when faced with an
ethical dilemma?
References

■ https://www.nursechoice.com/traveler-resources/4-common-nursing-ethics-
dilemmas/
■ https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only
■ Google Images