Nurses are answerable for their practice, and they act in a manner consistent with their
professional responsibilities and standards of practice.
1. Nurses must respect and practise according to the values and responsibilities in this
Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses and in keeping with the professional standards,
laws and regulations supporting ethical practice. They should use opportunities to
help nursing colleagues be aware of this code and other professional standards.
2. Nurses have the responsibility to conduct themselves with honesty and to protect their
own integrity in all of their professional interactions.
3. Nurses, in clinical, administrative, research or educational practice, have professional
responsibilities and accountabilities toward safe-guarding the quality of nursing care
persons receive. These responsibilities vary, but all must be oriented to the expected
outcome of safe, competent and ethical nursing practice.
4. Nurses should share their knowledge and provide mentorship and guidance for the
professional development of nursing students and other colleagues/health-care team
members.
5. Nurse educators, to the extent possible, must ensure that students will possess the
required knowledge, skills and competencies in order to graduate from nursing
programs (ANA, 2001).
6. Nurse administrators/managers, to the extent possible, must ensure that only those
nurses possessing the required knowledge, skills and competencies work in their
practice areas.
7. Nurses should provide timely and accurate feedback to other nurses and colleagues in
other disciplines and students about their practice, so as to support and recognize safe
and competent practice, contribute to ongoing learning and improve care.
8. If nurses determine that they do not have the necessary physical, mental or emotional
well-being to provide safe and competent care to persons, they may withdraw from
the provision of care or decline to engage in care. However, they must first give
reasonable notice to the employer, or if self-employed to their patients, and take
reasonable action to ensure that appropriate action has been taken to replace them
(Registered Nurses Association of British Columbia, 2001).
9. Nurses planning to participate in job action or who practice in environments where
job action occurs, must take steps (see Appendix A) to safeguard the health and
safety of people during the course of the job action.
10. Nurses must give primary consideration to the welfare of the people they serve and to
any possibility of harm in future care situations when they are pondering taking
action with regard to suspected unethical conduct or incompetent or unsafe care.
When nurses have reasonable grounds for concern about the behaviour of colleagues
or about the safety of conditions in the care setting, they must carefully review the
situation and take steps, individually or in partnership with others, to resolve the
problem (see Appendix A).
11. Nurses should advocate for discussion of ethical issues among health team members,
patients and families.
12. Nurses should advocate for changes to policy, legislation or regulations in concert
with other colleagues and their professional associations or colleges, when there is
agreement that these directives are unethical.