Nursing Ethics Education

Abstract

In this chapter a brief overview of the development of nursing into a profession that provides a critical human service is provided. Then, an argument outlining the ethical obligations of critical service professions serves as a foundation for describing what is needed to enable good practice. The state of the science related to ethics education for nurses (students and practitioners) is discussed, including what is and is not known about developing confidence in one’s ethical decision making and advocacy to overcome environmental, systemic, and other barriers to good practice. Distinctions among nursing ethics, medical ethics, and bioethics are drawn along with acknowledgement of the need for interdisciplinary approaches to contextually complex problems and dilemmas. Finally, a critique of the current status of knowledge about nursing ethics education in the United States, with suggestions for further research, policy influences and curricular changes, is provided.