NURSES BILL OF RIGHTS

By Obioha Sam Okoro

Registered nurses promote and restore
health, prevent illness, and protect the
people entrusted to their care. They work
to alleviate the suffering experienced by
individuals, families, groups and communities.

In so doing, nurses provide
services that maintain respect for human
dignity and embrace the uniqueness of
each patient and the nature of his or her
health problems, without restriction with
regard to social or economic status.

To maximize the contributions nurses make to society, it is necessary to protect the
dignity and autonomy of nurses in the
workplace. To that end, the following
rights must be afforded:

 Nurses have the
right to practice in a manner that fulfills their obligations to
society and to those who receive nursing
care. 

Nurses have the right to practice in
environments that allow them to act in
accordance with professional standards
and legally authorized scopes of practice.

Nurses have the right to a work
environment that supports and facilitates
ethical practice, in accordance with the
Code of Ethics for Nurses with
Interpretive Statements.

 Nurses have the
right to freely and openly advocate for themselves and their
patients, without fear of retribution.
Nurses have the right to fair compensation
for their work, consistent
with their knowledge, experience and
professional responsibilities. 

Nurses have the right to a work environment that is safe for themselves
and for their patients. Nurses have the
right to negotiate the conditions of their
employment, either as
individuals or collectively, in all practice settings.