The ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses (2025)

I would like to use this platform to review the American Nurses Association (ANA) new Code of Ethics for Nurses, "the Code" (2025). The background here is that I attended the 2015 ANA Ethics Symposium, where the ANA dubbed 2015 as the Year of Ethics. Attending that conference was pivotal for me.  Up to that point, in my dissertation, I was struggling with how to approach my literature review and study. That conference gave me great clarity and inspiration.  I worked through that conference, and continued to work once arriving home, on my dissertation topic of ethics in nursing. Now ten years later, I am excited to say that I just received my 2025 updated Code in the mail.  

My plan is to review the updated Code in sections over time. I also intend to draw parallels between the Code and my ethics model, The Siciliano-McLaughlin Model of Ethics.   

The ANA states, "The Code of Ethics for Nurses (Code) establishes the ethical standard for the profession and provides a guide for nurses to use in ethical practice and decision making without dictating a specific framework or method" (ANA, 2025, p. xi). 

In 2015, the Code of Ethics for Nurses contained nine provisions with interpretative statements. In the 2025 Code, there are now ten provisions. The previous nine provisions, from 2015, have been updated to reflect current nursing practice. A tenth provision was added to encompass global issues in nursing (ANA, 2025). The Code sets the standard for moral standards in nursing, regardless of the setting in which nursing is being practiced.  As the ANA states, " A code of ethics for the nursing profession makes explicit the primary obligations, values, and ideals of the profession and informs every aspect of the nurse's life" (ANA, 2025, p. xi). I have actually had friends and family members comment on how nursing holds us to a higher standard in society. I believe that they are right in the sense that nurses need to monitor their own behaviors in and out of work to uphold the ethical standards of being a nurse. 

I see my Model of Ethics as another resource that nurses may use when making ethical decisions. It is a quick reference with a visual that allows a nurse or nursing student to think about the situation they are encountering and see if the issue fits into one of the tenets of my model.  My model sparks lively conversations in my class as we work through ethical issues in practice. 

Future posts will examine each provision of the new Code. I would love to hear from other nurses about ethical issues encountered in practice. I challenge you to use the Code or my ethics model to think through the situation on hand. As always, I am open to comments and suggestions for future posts. 

Reference:

American Nurses Association (ANA). (2025). Code of ethics for nurses. Silver Spring, MD: Nursesbooks.org.