Ethical and Professional Conduct for Nursing Students

Source: https://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca/current-students/ethical-and-professional-conduct-for-nursing-students/ Parent: https://bloomberg.nursing.utoronto.ca/news/

The nursing profession espouses a commitment to promoting well-being by providing competent and compassionate care.

Nursing students should be committed to learning and accepting the ethical standards of conduct of the profession. During their educational program, nursing students strive to learn, promote, restore and support health to prevent illness and to relieve suffering.

The following guidelines are designed to help nursing students provide ethical nursing care and to meet the Faculty’s expectations regarding ethical and professional conduct. These also include the Faculty’s social media guidelines.

Not all ethical questions can be answered by these guidelines, and Bloomberg Nursing students are encouraged to discuss ethical issues, concerns and questions as they arise with their instructors and student cohort.

These guidelines complement the University of Toronto’s Code of Behaviour on Academic Matters, the University of Toronto’s Code of Student Conduct, and the Standards of Professional Practice Behaviour for all Health Professional Students.

The Nursing Student & Clients

As a Bloomberg Nursing student, you are expected to respect the needs and values of clients. The following guidelines will assist you in meeting this expectation.

The nursing student should be respectful of a client’s values, culture, and religion.
When a nursing student does not wish to provide care to a client for ethical or religious reasons, or because of a conflict in values, the student should discuss the assignment with the instructor as soon as possible. The nursing student must continue providing care until the issue is resolved.
The nursing student must provide safe, competent care to client(s).
The nursing student should strive to establish a therapeutic and caring relationship with clients. This professional relationship is based on trust, which must not be violated.
The nursing student should communicate verbally and non-verbally with clients and families in a professional manner.

Client and Family Confidentiality

The nursing student should maintain client/family confidentiality.
The client or designated other must consent to information being disclosed to their family, friends, other individuals and/or health professionals who are not members of the client’s health care team.
Nursing students are responsible for knowing the policy and practices regarding disclosure of confidential information at the agency where they are practicing. Information can be shared by the nursing student with the client’s health care team and appropriate Faculty members. Clients/families should not be discussed in public areas.
Client/family confidentiality must be maintained in written assignments and student conferences.
The general rule is that clients must consent to disclosure of information to any individuals who are not members of the client’s health care team. However, under exceptional circumstances, information can be disclosed without the client’s consent; for example, if the safety of the client, or others, is at serious risk unless specific information is disclosed. Under such circumstances, the nursing student should discuss the situation with their instructor. If the instructor is not immediately available, the nursing student should discuss the situation promptly with a responsible person in the clinical setting.
The nursing student must not be under the influence of substances (e.g., alcohol and illicit drugs) during class or at the clinical placement.
The nursing student should recognize that attendance at clinical placements is compulsory.
The nursing student should inform their instructor as soon as possible, or according to the manner established by the instructor, if they are unable to attend the clinical placement due to illness or extenuating circumstances.

The Nursing Student & Other Health Care Professionals

The following guidelines will assist you as a Bloomberg Nursing student in developing and maintaining professional relationships and ethical conduct with colleagues.

The nursing student is a member of the client’s health team and must work co-operatively with peers, the instructor and other health care professionals to provide competent and safe client care.
In the event that a nursing student has reason to believe that another student or health care professional is not providing competent and safe care, and/or is giving care under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, the student’s first obligations are to protect the client from harm, to ensure that client dignity is respected, and to inform the instructor of the situation immediately.
If the instructor is not available immediately, the nursing student should promptly inform a responsible person at the clinical setting of the misconduct. Both misconduct and failure to report misconduct can result in a client being harmed psychologically and physically. It is left to the student’s discretion whether they also want to discuss the issue with the student(s) or health professional(s) involved.

The Nursing Student & the Profession

As a nursing student you are also representative of the nursing profession. Therefore, you have an obligation to know and appreciate the profession’s values and to incorporate them into your practice. The following guidelines will assist the you in meeting this expectation.

The nursing student should understand the Canadian Nurses Association’s Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses and the College of Nurses of Ontario’s Ethical Standards and Guidelines.
The nursing student should refer to these codes when making decisions about an ethical issue.
The nursing student should discuss ethical and professional concerns with their peers, instructors and other Faculty members.

Social media continues to be a powerful and engaging tool to connect with members of the public on a variety of important issues and topics and is a great resource for sharing and promoting research, events, or highlighting an individual’s career growth.

When using social media, students, staff, and faculty should remember to protect their personal and professional reputation by effectively managing their social media presence.

Students, staff, and faculty members of Bloomberg Nursing are encouraged to adhere to the following guidelines. Additional resources pertaining to the nursing profession for faculty or students can also be found below.

General Recommendations

Be honest, be thoughtful, and be respectful about the purpose of the community where posts are made. Do not post confidential or proprietary information about Bloomberg Nursing, its students, its alumni, employees, vendors or business partners. Use good ethical judgment and follow university policies. When using a personal social media account, it is recommended that students, staff, and faculty are clear that their opinions are their own and not that of the University of Toronto or Bloomberg Nursing.

Be Respectful

Always be professional and respectful on social accounts. Language should be civil and not contain discriminatory or derogatory remarks. Do not engage in extensive or negative debates. Please review the University of Toronto Guideline on Workplace Harassment and Civil Conduct. Nursing students should also review the RNAO Social Media Guidelines for Nurses.

Copyright and Confidentiality

Students, staff, and faculty should not share personal information, including email addresses, phone numbers, or anything else they would not want a wider public audience to see. Videos, reels, or TikToks of Bloomberg Nursing classroom content including simulation lab experiences is prohibited. Do not audio record, film, or photograph peers, faculty, students or staff, without their express consent.

Before posting, students, staff, and faculty should make sure they are not breaking copyright law or sharing confidential information. This can include sharing embargoed materials, content and publications, or using copyrighted images. Support others by giving credit where it is due, tag other departments or organizations if their articles or stories are shared.

Do not share images of patients or stories of patients that would be in breach of the nursing student code of conduct. Do not share identifying information or images of hospitals or institutions without the organization’s consent.

Please review hospital or community organization’s guidelines regarding social media. Students may speak with their Clinical Instructor if they are unsure.

Individuals who wish to use social media platforms such as X (formally Twitter), Facebook and Instagram or a personal messaging application as educational technology tools, should first consult the University of Toronto’s Teaching with Social Media Guideline.

The use of class or program specific hashtags to encourage discussions on social media is permitted, but keep in mind that all such discussions are in a public forum and not all students will be comfortable sharing information in this format. An alternate platform to engage in a closed forum discussion should be considered by viewing Tools Beyond Quercus from the Centre for Teaching and Innovation.

Accuracy

Ensure that the content you are posting is accurate, properly sourced, and free of typos and spelling errors. It is better to verify your post first instead of having to retract or correct it later. If you do make an error, try to correct it quickly and visibly.

The best way to grow a social media following is to post regularly and share content that is current and of interest to the audience. Like and share colleagues’ posts to build a sense of community and become a valued social media community member.

In addition to these guidelines, placement agencies, clinical partners, or employers may also have information on social media best practices. It is the responsibility of students, staff, and faculty to review and adhere to these practices to protect themselves and their reputation.

Be alert to potential threats

If students staff or faculty have concerns about personal safety, reach out to the Community Safety Office or if there is an imminent threat, contact local police services (911) or the RCMP.

Report bad behaviour

Abusive behaviour online can be reported to the hosting platform. If the behaviour doesn’t meet the reporting standard but is disagreeable, block the account. Links to how to report abusive behaviour by platform are listed below:

In addition to these guidelines, your placement agencies, clinical partners, or employers may also have information on social media best practices. It is your responsibility to review them and adhere to them to protect yourself and your reputation.