Code of Ethics.

A code of ethics is “the principles and values that guide the actions of an individual or population when faced with questions of right and wrong”. It is important for individuals to follow codes of ethics in order to be successful as an individual or be successful in a professional career. Following codes of ethics makes it easier for an individual to distinguish what is right from what is wrong. Following codes of ethics will help an individual become a better person or perform at a higher level at work. To follow codes of ethics, individuals also know what their responsibilities are and how they can carry out those responsibilities with better standards and it provide guidance for nurses. Threw out history, there has always been codes of ethics for health care professionals to follow in order to provide better care for patients. The Code of Ethics for nurses provides guidance for responsibilities, behaviors and decision-making. The Code of Ethics serves as a means of self-evaluation and ethical nursing practice. The Code also serves as an ethical foundation from which nurses can advocate for quality work environments that support the provision of safe, considerate, ethical healthcare.
There are a number of ethical codes in the nursing profession. Even though there are a number of Codes of Ethics for nurses, I will talk about one of them in my paper.
The Ethical Code or Provision that I will talk about is ‘Provision 3 ‘. Provision 3 is “The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety, and rights of the patient”. The main goals of this Provision are to safeguard the patient’s privacy and confidentiality, protection of participants in research, and address impaired practices. The most important goal of this Provision is to protect the patients’ privacy and confidentiality. In order to achieve this goal nurses need to recognize the importance of privacy and confidentiality and safeguard personal, family