{"id":56,"date":"2019-10-20T00:00:29","date_gmt":"2019-10-20T04:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/nursingpharmacology\/chapter\/2-2-ethical-and-professional-foundations\/"},"modified":"2022-11-29T13:36:19","modified_gmt":"2022-11-29T18:36:19","slug":"2-2-ethical-and-professional-foundations","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/nursingpharmacology\/chapter\/2-2-ethical-and-professional-foundations\/","title":{"raw":"2.2 Ethical and Professional Foundations","rendered":"2.2 Ethical and Professional Foundations"},"content":{"raw":"

CNA Code of Ethics for Nurses<\/h1>\r\nThe\u00a0[pb_glossary id=\"814\"]Canadian Nurses Association (CNA)<\/strong>[\/pb_glossary][footnote]CNA. (2021). Canadian Nurses Association. https:\/\/www.cna-aiic.ca\/en\/home[\/footnote] is a professional organization that represents the national and global interests of Canadian nurses. They represent registered nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed and registered practical nurses, registered psychiatric nurses, and retired nurses across all 13 provinces and territories. [footnote]Canadian Nurses Association. (2021). <\/span>Regulating Nursing in Canada: The landscape in 2021<\/em>. <\/span>https:\/\/hl-prod-ca-oc-download.s3-ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/CNA\/2f975e7e-4a40-45ca-863c-5ebf0a138d5e\/UploadedImages\/documents\/Regulated-Nursing-in-Canada_e.pdf<\/a>[\/footnote] The CNA developed the\u00a0[pb_glossary id=\"816\"]Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses<\/strong>[\/pb_glossary]<\/span>\u00a0as a guide for carrying out nursing responsibilities in a manner consistent with quality in nursing care and the ethical obligations of the profession.<\/span>[footnote]Canadian Nurses Association. (2017). Code of ethics for registered nurses<\/em>. https:\/\/www.cna-aiic.ca\/en\/nursing\/regulated-nursing-in-canada\/nursing-ethics<\/a>[\/footnote]\r\n

CNA Registered Nurse Practice Framework<\/h2>\r\nThe CNA publishes The Framework for the Practice of Registered Nurses in Canada<\/a>. This framework promotes a common understanding of RN practice among nurses, students and stakeholders (including other health professionals, employers, educators, policy-makers and the public). Given the large number of regulated and unregulated care providers in Canada, it is essential for policy-makers, decision-makers and employers to clearly understand RN competencies and contributions as well as to know when RN care is the most appropriate. [footnote]Canadian Nurses Association. (2015). RN Practice Framework<\/em>. https:\/\/www.cna-aiic.ca\/en\/nursing\/regulated-nursing-in-canada\/rn-practice-framework2<\/a>[\/footnote] Each province and territory also has a regional governing body for nurses. These regional bodies are responsible for further outlining the scope of practice, practice standards, and professional standards for their registrants. The regulatory body in British Columbia is the [pb_glossary id=\"815\"]British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives<\/strong>[\/pb_glossary][footnote]BCCNM. (2021). British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives. https:\/\/www.bccnm.ca\/Pages\/Default.aspx<\/a>[\/footnote]\r\n\r\nThe CNA defines [pb_glossary id=\"632\"]nursing [\/pb_glossary]<\/strong> as \"the application of professional nursing knowledge, skills, and judgment for the purpose of: (a) promoting, maintaining, and restoring health; (b) preventing illness, injury, or disability; (c) caring for persons who are sick, injured, disabled, or dying; (d) assisting in pre-natal care, childbirth, and postnatal care; (e) health teaching and health counselling; (f) coordinating health care; or (g) engaging in administration, teaching, or research. [footnote]CNA. (2021).\u00a0Regulated Nursing in Canada: The landscape in 2021. https:\/\/hl-prod-ca-oc-download.s3-ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/CNA\/2f975e7e-4a40-45ca-863c-5ebf0a138d5e\/UploadedImages\/documents\/Regulated-Nursing-in-Canada_e.pdf<\/a><\/span><\/span>[\/footnote] A [pb_glossary id=\"633\"]registered nurse<\/strong> [\/pb_glossary] is an <\/span><\/span>individual who is educationally prepared and licensed by a province or territory to practice as a registered nurse.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n

CNA Entry-level Competencies<\/h3>\r\nCNA entry-level competencies describe a competent level of behaviour in the professional role.[footnote]Canadian Nurses Association. (2021). <\/span>Regulating Nursing in Canada: The landscape in 2021.<\/em> https:\/\/hl-prod-ca-oc-download.s3-ca-central-1.amazonaws.com\/CNA\/2f975e7e-4a40-45ca-863c-5ebf0a138d5e\/UploadedImages\/documents\/Regulated-Nursing-in-Canada_e.pdf<\/span><\/a>[\/footnote] A total of 101 competencies are grouped thematically under nine roles. Integration of all nine roles enables the entry-level registered nurse to provide safe, competent, ethical, compassionate, and evidence-informed nursing care in any practice setting. Some concepts are relevant to multiple roles. The roles include:\r\n
    \r\n \t
  1. Clinician: provide safe, competent, ethical, compassionate, and evidence-informed care across the lifespan in response to client needs; integrate knowledge, skills, judgment and professional values from nursing and other diverse sources into their practice.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. Professional: commit to the health and well-being of clients; uphold the profession\u2019s practice standards and ethics and be accountable to the public and the profession; demonstrate accountability, accept responsibility, and seek assistance as necessary for decisions and actions within the legislated scope of practice.<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. Communicator: use a variety of strategies and relevant technologies to create and maintain professional relationships, share information, and foster therapeutic environments.<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. Collaborator: play an integral role in the health-care team partnership.<\/li>\r\n \t
  5. Coordinator: coordinate point-of-care health service delivery with clients, the health-care team, and other sectors to ensure continuous, safe care.<\/li>\r\n \t
  6. Leader: influence and inspire others to achieve optimal health outcomes for all.<\/li>\r\n \t
  7. Advocate: support clients to voice their needs to achieve optimal health outcomes and support clients who cannot advocate for themselves.<\/li>\r\n \t
  8. Educator: identify learning needs with clients and apply a broad range of educational strategies towards achieving optimal health outcomes.<\/li>\r\n \t
  9. Scholar: demonstrate a lifelong commitment to excellence in practice through critical inquiry, continuous learning, application of evidence to practice, and support of research activities.<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

    CNA Practice Standards<\/h2>\r\nCompared to the other designations of regulated nurses, the standards of practice for registered nurses vary across Canada with no national framework identified. The next section will focus on the professional and practice standards in British Columbia as set out by BCCNM.\r\n

    BCCNM Professional Standards and Practice Standards<\/h2>\r\n[pb_glossary id=\"825\"]Professional Standards<\/strong>[\/pb_glossary] are \"one set of standards under the umbrella of BCCNM Standards of Practice, are statements about levels of performance that nurses are required to achieve in their practice\".[footnote]BCCNM. (2021). Professional Standards. https:\/\/www.bccnm.ca\/RN\/ProfessionalStandards\/Pages\/Default.aspx[\/footnote]\r\n