5416.1 A registered nurse shall adhere to the standards set forth in the “Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements” as adopted by the American Nurses Association in 2015, which is available at https://www.nursingworld.org/coe-view-only.

5416.2 A registered nurse shall:

(a) Practice within the scope of practice for registered nursing established by the Act and this chapter;

(b) Demonstrate honesty and integrity in nursing practice;

(c) Base nursing decisions on nursing knowledge and skills, the needs of patients, and registered nursing standards;

(d) Accept responsibility for judgments, individual nursing actions, competence, decisions, and behavior in the course of nursing practice; and

(e) Maintain competence through ongoing learning and application of knowledge in registered nursing practice.

5416.3 A registered nurse shall respect the client’s right to privacy by protecting confidential information, unless the registered nurse is obligated or allowed by law to disclose the information.

5416.4 A registered nurse shall not accept or perform professional responsibilities which the nurse is not competent to perform.

5416.5 A registered nurse shall not, after accepting an assignment or responsibility for a client’s care, and without giving adequate notice to the supervisor so that arrangements can be made for the continuation of nursing care by others:

(a) Unilaterally sever the established nurse-client relationship; or

(b) Leave a client for a length of time, or in a manner, that exposes the client unnecessarily to risk of harm.

5416.6 A registered nurse shall know, recognize, and maintain professional boundaries of the nurse-client relationship.

5416.7 A registered nurse shall report any unsafe nursing practice that they have reasonable cause to suspect has exposed, or is likely to expose, a client to

unnecessary risk of harm as a result of a failure to provide client care that conforms to the minimum standards of acceptable and prevailing professional practice. The registered nurse shall report the conduct to the appropriate authority within the facility, or the Board.

5416.8 A registered nurse shall provide nursing services, without discrimination, regardless of the age, disability, economic status, gender, national origin, race, religion, or health problems of the client served.

SOURCE: Final Rulemaking published at 51 DCR 8613 (September 3, 2004); as amended by Final Rulemaking published at 69 DCR 010990 (September 2, 2022).