Nursing ethics encompasses which of the following?

• A. the values and ethical principles governing nursing practice, conduct, and relationships
• B. personal guidelines for living
• C. beliefs about what is right or wrong
• D. the duties of legal compliance

Answer: (A)

Nursing ethics centers on the values and ethical principles that guide how nurses practice, conduct themselves, and relate to patients and colleagues. This professional framework shapes how you make decisions, protect patient rights, maintain confidentiality, obtain informed consent, advocate for vulnerable individuals, and navigate relationships within the care team. It goes beyond personal morals or general ideas about right and wrong, because it provides a structured set of standards specifically for professional nursing practice. While the law requires certain actions, ethics covers the broader obligation to act in patients’ best interests and to uphold professional responsibilities, which can require more than what the law dictates. So the values and principles that govern nursing practice, conduct, and relationships best capture what nursing ethics encompasses.