- Ethical Decision Making -
Values in the Nursing Code of Ethics in Canada
Ethical decision making in nursing practice in Canada is based on the values articulated
the nursing code of ethics formulated by the Canadian Nurses Association. When ethical issues in nursing arise
the values in this professional ethical code must take precedence over a personal set of values.
Values are at the foundation of ethical decisions so it is important to understand what values are and how they
influence decisions about what is right or morally good.
Values are basically beliefs or attitudes about worth and importance.
Ideas, objects, and actions can all be judged according to a personal or professional value set. When ethical issues in nursing
practice arise value based judgments are used to decide a morally correct path of action.
When it comes to
ethical decision making it is is important that you base your decisions on professional
values and not your own personal value set.
What are Individual or Personal Values?
Entry level competencies require that the nurse is able to
identify the effects of own values and assumptions on interactions with the client.
Without awareness of your own values as
influenced by your culture and other variables you may not be able to recognize and select the correct answer on the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam.
It is important to understand your own values because they influence all decision making, but especially ethical decision making.
A personal value system is greatly influenced by cultural, family, and even religious teachings. Your own value set was probably adopted without conscious thought.
In nursing practice however, you must be aware of your own values especially as they influence ethical issues in nursing practice.
Awareness of your own values helps you to be able to set them aside (temporarily) or at least to remove any influence they may
have on your decision making.
The Canadian Nurses Association has based the
nursing code of ethics for Canadian nurses on
7 values:
Each of the seven values will be tested on the
Canadian Registered Nurse Exam with a multiple choice question.
A situation will be described and then some alternatives for appropriate action will be given.
The correct answer will be the one
which shows the nurse has made a decision about
what to do based on these seven professional values.
Professional Values
It is the seven values of the nursing profession as articulated in the Canadian Nurses' Association Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses
that must be used for ethical decision making. This means that you must be able to apply each of the
seven values in a nursing practice situation.
Situations where nurses must use ethical decision making are dynamic and constantly changing; the value set
of the nursing code of ethics remains the same and all decisions regardless of the setting or the circumstances must be based
on these seven values.
It is not enough to know what the values are, you must understand what they mean and be able to apply them in nursing practice in the Canadian context
if you want to be able
to correctly answer the questions on the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam.
Here is a list of all the the pages on this website (including this one) that contain more specific information about ethics in nursing.
Nursing Ethics in Canada - an introduction to the regulations
that require ethical nursing practice in Canada.
What is the
Nursing Code of Ethics
for nursing practice in Canada?
The What's and Why's of an
Ethical Code for Nursing Practice
Ethical Theories - a brief explanation of the three classifications of ethical theories used most often by nurses
What is an
Ethical Dilemma in Nursing Practice? - a description of the ethical principles used in moral reasoning in nursing practice.
Ethical Decision Making in Nursing Practice - the Influence of Personal and Professional Values
Ethical Issues in Nursing Practice in Canada - What are Some of the Current Ethical Issues in Nursing?
The requirement for
Ethics in Nursing Curriculum in Canada
