PROFESSIONAL/LEGAL

AND MORAL
ACCOUNTABILITY/
RESPONSIBILITY

Group 8
HOW CAN NURSES DEMONSTRATE
ACCOUNTABILITY IN NURSING PRACTICE?

• THERE ARE ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES TO DEMONSTRATE

ACCOUNTABILITY IN NURSING PRACTICE.
THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF WAYS NURSES CAN
DEMONSTRATE ACCOUNTABILITY IN NURSING
PRACTICE.

• Work within your Scope of Practice.

• Accept responsibility for yourself and your actions
• Follow policies and procedures as established by your
employer.
• Accept correction or instruction from supervisors when
needed.
• Stay up to date with professional nursing standards.
• Complete tasks assigned to you before leaving work.
• Set personal and professional goals.
• Provide safe, quality care to all patients.
WORK WITHIN YOUR SCOPE OF PRACTICE

• The nurse’s Scope of Practice is in place to help maximize patient

health outcomes and safeguard patient experiences.
• Working within the Scope of Practice is one of the best ways to
demonstrate accountability in nursing practice.
ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR
ACTIONS.

• Practicing accountability in nursing requires a willingness to

acknowledge your role in situations, good or bad.
• You cannot make other people act responsibly, but you can
accept responsibility for your own behavior and work ethic.
FOLLOW POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AS
ESTABLISHED BY YOUR EMPLOYER.

• Nurses demonstrate accountability to employers by

following policies and procedures.
• Any nurse with questions about a policy or procedure’s
legality or legal limits should verify any facility policies they
believe conflict with Nurse Practice Act regulations.
ACCEPT CORRECTION OR INSTRUCTION FROM
SUPERVISORS WHEN NEEDED.

• Being accountable in nursing means being willing to listen to team

leaders or managers and learning from them.
STAY UP TO DATE WITH PROFESSIONAL NURSING
STANDARDS.
• Any nurse can work a 12-hour shift and go home
• Nurses who genuinely care about patients and their careers
understand the importance of accountability in nursing
practice.
• A vital step in practicing nursing accountability is to be aware of
changes related to professional nursing practices.
COMPLETE TASKS ASSIGNED TO YOU BEFORE
LEAVING WORK.

• Accountability in nursing practice means acknowledging that

everyone has a job to do and not shirking your responsibilities
onto someone else.
 SET PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GOALS.

• When you set goals and follow through with them, you create a
habit of personal accountability.
• The more goal-oriented you become, the greater the level of
accountability you will demonstrate.
PROVIDE SAFE, QUALITY CARE TO ALL PATIENTS.

• Nurses are accountable to patients by fulfilling obligations set

forth in the Code of Ethics and Scope and Standards of
Practice.
PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY:

• Nurses have a formal obligation of accountability placed on

them by their Nurse Regulatory Board and must be willing to
accept professional responsibility for the care they provide.
• Nurses must act responsibly, show knowledge and judgment,
and be accountable for their choices.
• Nurses must be conscious of how their actions and choices
affect their reputation, the reputation of their employer or
organization, and the reputation of the nursing profession as a
whole.
LEGAL ACCOUNTABILITY:

• All nurses should be mindful of their legal responsibilities

related to the role of patient care.
• Legal accountability in nursing includes the responsibility of
nurses to know what tasks or duties may be delegated to
others and the care with which they make decisions regarding
delegation.
• Nurses are obliged to provide comprehensive and
compassionate end-of-life care.

• Nurses should collaborate with other members of the

health care team to ensure optimal symptom
management and to provide support for the patient and
family.
• Nurses and other health care providers have a responsibility to
establish decision-making processes that reflect physiologic
realities, patient preferences, and the recognition of what,
clinically, may or may not be accomplished.
Members:

Mercado, Cyrell
Militar, Emmanuel
Molina, Fatima Grace
Merza, Mikee Lorreine
Morales, Jera Brent