What is the Code of Ethics of LPNs?

If you work in a field that involves caring for and treating patients, like practical nursing, you must adhere to a strict code of ethics. It is a contract that establishes professional standards for nurses at all levels and throughout their careers. The LPN programs Code of Ethics is published by the American Nurses Association (ANA). The Code of Nursing Ethics With Interpretive Statements is another name for it.

The nursing profession and the code change with time. Therefore, Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) expect to stay current whenever new modifications are adopted. In 1950, the Code of Ethics was adopted. In 2015, an upgrade was made.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the voice of millions of nurses in America. It is committed to advancing this same nursing field through four main strategies:

• Raising the bar for nursing practice
• Fostering a moral and secure workplace
• Supporting the health and well-being of nurses
•  Aiding in the advocacy of medical concerns.

The Code of Ethics for Nurses addresses every aspect of the organization’s mission through nine distinct provisions. For LPNs beginning their training, the Code of Ethics to Nursing is crucial. It lays the groundwork for long-term care facilities and offers you and your patients’ safeguards.

Why is it named an Ethics Code but not a “moral” document? These terms sometimes have different meanings. Not quite, that is. Morality is reflected in ethics. Values, character, or action are all examples of morality. While the latter is the subject of formal analysis and research in ethics, the latter brings the former into sharper light. Morality and ethics frequently need clarification, but you know the distinction today.

The 2015 Code of Nursing Ethics version includes a glossary that clarifies key terminology and considers how the English language has changed over time. The Code of Ethics for Nurses is now in its first edition. This guarantees that everyone is aware of the message. Any governing document must be widely accepted to be effective. It lessens misunderstandings, reducing the probability that a court will intervene in disputes.

Related Article:- Is Taking LPN Certificate Worth it?

The 9 Guidelines of the Code of Ethics For Nurses Are as Follows:

Provision 1 – The nurse behaves compassionately and with regard for each person’s innate dignity, worth, and distinctive qualities.

Provision 2 – A nurse’s duty to the patient comes first. It could be a single person, a family, a large group, or the entire population.

Provision 3 – Patient rights, health, and safety are promoted, protected, and advocated for by the nurse.

Provision 4 – To practice nursing, a nurse has the power, accountability, and duty to make decisions and perform activities that support the duty to improve health and deliver the best possible routine patient care.

Provision 5 – The nurse has the same obligations to herself and others. Promoting safety, health, honesty, competence, and ongoing professional and personal development are a few of these duties.

Provision 6 – The nurse establishes, upholds, and enhances moral working circumstances that support safe and effective healthcare.

Provision 7 – Through research, scholarly investigation, the development of professional standards, and the dissemination and creation of health and nursing policy, nurses in all roles and contexts enhance their profession.

Provision 8 – To advance human rights, foster health diplomacy, and lessen health inequities, the nurse collaborates with members of the public as well as other health professionals.

Provision 9 – Through the professional associations, the nursing profession must jointly articulate and uphold nursing values and incorporate social justice ideas into nursing and health policy.

Among the various provisions, these are only a handful. Each issue in the Code of Ethics for Nurses has numerous subtopics.

The LPN Code of Ethics must be accessible to practical nurses to use in their work. Because of their work, they must make moral judgment calls daily. Nurses must balance upholding patient condition autonomy and their duty to advocate for justice. The Code of Ethics provides guidelines that can help in even the most difficult situations and makes LPNs look like superheroes. This was evident during the Coronavirus pandemic. 

It was amazing to see nurses make difficult decisions, such as ethically prioritizing patient care. A one-woman CNN report examines the origins of the terminologies used to describe direct patient care within COVID-19. These phrases originated in wartime and are still applicable to healthcare in 2022 for reporting purposes. Ethics will be a prominent topic as America recovers from the pandemic and the incoming government initiates healthcare policy reforms.

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If you are a nursing aspirant and your google search is filled with search queries like private LPN schools near me, then bother no more as we offer the best LPN courses in Illinois. Verve College has two campuses, one each in Chicago and Oak Brook. Contact us to know more about the admission process. Graduates of LPN programs from Verve College can work as nurses in long-term treatment facilities, nursing homes, hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and other settings. You can provide the same moral care we appreciate after 16 months of nursing school.