Reflection on Nursing Core Values and Ethical Standards

Understanding one’s professional identity as a nurse practitioner is essential to shaping effective care delivery and maintaining personal well-being. According to Vabo et al. (2022), professional identity refers to the individual practical experiences in which knowledge is reflected and internalized through interactions with role models, other students, and patients. However, nursing values, leadership and evaluation, behavior models, and the professional organizations one supports strongly influence professional identity. This essay critiques my personal and professional practices in the context of nursing core values, identifies professional organizations that reflect my nursing values and identity, reflects on how my actions model ethical behaviors in nursing practice and leadership, and discusses mentorship experiences. It will also evaluate strategies and methods for effective peer review and reflect on experience evaluating other members of the care team.

Personal and Professional Practices Critique in the Context of Nursing Core Values

The professional identity of a nurse, in my view, is based not only on personal identity but also on an individual nurse’s experience and knowledge integration in practice. I believe professional nurses should conduct themselves and play their roles in a specific way because it reflects how they understand, develop, and demonstrate who they are in the healthcare field, which differs from other healthcare professionals. Nurses’ professional identity includes their values, beliefs, attitudes, knowledge, skills, behaviors, and ethical standards, and how these contribute to their commitment to the profession.

I constantly demonstrate nursing core values in my personal and professional practices. For instance, I demonstrate integrity by being accountable for my nursing actions and taking responsibility for my decisions and mistakes. I also demonstrate altruism by considering other people’s well-being even in uncomfortable situations. In addition, I show inclusivity by respecting patients and colleagues from diverse backgrounds, and I strive to ensure that in all my professional and personal interactions, everyone feels valued and included.  I show compassion in my personal practice by responding to others with kindness, and in my professional practice by considering not only a patient’s physical needs but also their emotional and psychosocial needs. I also demonstrate courage by asking for assistance when faced with a challenge, and humility by acknowledging that I do not know everything and am ready to learn from others. Additionally, I speak up for patients, demonstrate caring through respectful communication, and demonstrate autonomy by recognizing each person’s right to make their own health decisions. I also demonstrate humanity by treating every person with dignity and social justice by treating people fairly in both personal and professional interactions.

Furthermore, my professional practices uphold a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by treating every patient and colleague with dignity, respect, and fairness, regardless of their background, beliefs, culture, or circumstances. I also strive to acknowledge different perspectives, recognize individual needs, and provide equitable care without bias or discrimination. Additionally, I promote an inclusive work environment by valuing and respecting my colleagues’ contributions just as my own.

Professional Organizations Reflecting My Personal Nursing Values and Identity

The personal nursing values that mostly shape my professional identity are integrity, leadership, altruism, and inclusivity. Bazinski and Wilson (2023) note that professional nursing organizations highly influence member nurses’ professional identity through shared core values. The two professional nursing organizations that reflect my personal nursing values are the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National League for Nursing (NLN). The ANA primarily focuses on advancing the nursing profession and giving nurses a collective voice. The organization represents and advocates for registered nurses, promotes professional and ethical standards, supports safe nursing practice and work environments, provides professional development, and influences healthcare policy. The ANA can help me improve my personal practice by providing ethical guidance through its Code of Ethics, professional education, leadership development, and advocacy resources. Additionally, its current Code of Ethics specifically addresses issues such as health disparities, racism, allyship, workplace safety, and emerging healthcare technologies, which can help me practice with greater integrity, inclusivity, accountability, and confidence as a nurse leader.

The NLN focuses on nursing education and workforce development by supporting nurse educators, nursing schools, and nursing education programs through professional development, research, assessment, networking, educational resources, and advocacy. It strongly reflects my values because its core values explicitly include integrity, diversity and inclusion, caring, and excellence. The organization can help me improve my personal practice through professional development, networking, leadership opportunities, and exposure to diverse perspectives, enabling me to become a more compassionate, inclusive, and effective nurse leader.

Role of Personal Actions in Modeling Ethical Behaviors in Nursing Practice/Leadership

Ethical behaviors are fundamental in nursing practice and leadership as nurses have a professional responsibility to protect patients’ dignity, safety, rights, and well-being. Core ethical behaviors in the nursing profession include treating patients with empathy, providing equitable care without discrimination, recognizing individual differences, avoiding bias, preventing harm, and taking appropriate action when patient safety is threatened (Ma et al., 2026). My personal actions model ethical behavior in nursing practice and leadership by guiding my interactions with honesty, respect, accountability, and compassion. For instance, I strive to listen to patients and colleagues’ concerns without judgment and advocate for what is right, even when it is uncomfortable. I also recognize that ethical leadership begins with self-awareness, so I take responsibility for my decisions, remain open to feedback, and acknowledge when I need to learn or seek guidance. Additionally, I aim to lead by example rather than simply expecting ethical behavior from others.

However, unethical behavior can still occur. If unethical behavior occurs, several approaches can address it. For instance, I would address the behavior directly and respectfully by discussing it privately with the individual involved and referring to professional standards for corrective action. Another solution is to seek guidance if the situation is unclear and collaborate with other professionals to ensure the behavior is handled objectively and fairly. Reporting the behavior using established procedures is also necessary, especially if it threatens patient safety (Kangasniemi et al., 2026).

Mentorship in the Development of Professional Growth and Accountability

Mentoring in nursing is a key strategy for developing professional identity and enabling effective transition and socialization into nursing roles (Rossiter et al., 2024).  I am currently formally mentoring a nursing student as he completes his Associate Degree in Nursing, supporting his professional growth and accountability. I usually provide him guidance during clinical learning, encourage critical thinking, and help him connect classroom knowledge with safe, patient-centered nursing practice.  I also support his professional growth by setting clear expectations together, providing constructive feedback, and encouraging him to take ownership of his decisions, responsibilities, and development as a future nurse. The experience has positively impacted the mentee, as I have seen his confidence improve in completing nursing interventions. He also contributes resourcefully to the care team during his clinicals, asking questions and seeking clarification to promote learning.

Strategies and Methods for Effective Peer Review

Effective peer review is not just evaluation, but an opportunity for meaningful professional growth. Strategies for effective peer review include using a review structure, providing constructive feedback, and engaging in reflective dialogue and follow-up.  Using a clear structure helps maintain consistency and keeps feedback focused on specific expectations, although it can sometimes feel rigid. Providing constructive feedback by first recognizing strengths and then identifying areas for improvement promotes trust and makes criticism easier to accept, but reviewers may sometimes hesitate to address concerns directly. Reflective dialogue and follow-up allow peers to clarify feedback, ask questions, and develop practical improvement strategies, thus encouraging accountability, collaboration, and mutual learning, although it can be time-consuming or uncomfortable when discussing sensitive issues.

Evaluation Experience

I have attended several evaluations of other members of the care team, whereby I was expected to provide respectful, constructive feedback on communication, collaboration, and patient care quality. We were also required to suggest how these aspects could be improved and the role the member being evaluated would play in the improvement. The evaluation experience helped me become more self-aware, improve my ability to give and receive feedback, and recognize the importance of addressing concerns professionally rather than personally. For the care team, the evaluation encouraged open communication, clarified expectations, strengthened accountability, and helped identify opportunities for improvement, hence supporting better teamwork and more coordinated, patient-centered care.

Conclusion

My professional identity entails the values and responsibilities that shape me as a nurse and leader. Integrity, altruism, inclusivity, and leadership values form the foundation of how I interact with patients, colleagues, and the broader healthcare community. Professional organizations such as the ANA and NLN further support my growth through ethical guidance, advocacy, education, and leadership development. Reflecting on ethical behavior, mentorship, peer review, and team evaluation has also strengthened my commitment to accountability, continuous learning, and collaboration. These experiences continue to shape my identity as a compassionate, ethical, and effective nursing professional.

References

Bazinski, M. A., & Wilson, M. (2023). Challenges recruiting and retaining new members of a professional nursing organization. Pain Management Nursing: Official Journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses, 24(5), 513–520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmn.2023.06.007

Kangasniemi, M., Papinaho, O., & Häggman-Laitila, A. (2026). Identifying and addressing unethical conduct by nurses. Routledge Handbook of Nursing Ethics. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003795940-23

Ma, Z., Qiu, H., Jing, J., Fu, Y., Liu, D., Shao, C., Zhang, H., Liu, J., & Chen, C. (2026). The dynamic relationship between ethical leadership and nurses’ innovative behavior. Nursing Ethics, 33(3), 735–748. https://doi.org/10.1177/09697330251403145

Rossiter, R., Robinson, T., Cox, R., Collison, L., & Hills, D. (2024). Mentors supporting nurses transitioning to primary healthcare roles: a practice improvement initiative. SAGE Open Nursing, 10, 23779608241231174. https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608241231174

Vabo, G., Slettebø, Å., & Fossum, M. (2022). Nursing students’ professional identity development: an integrative review. Nordic Journal of Nursing Research, 42(2), 62–75. https://doi.org/10.1177/20571585211029857

 

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Reflection on Nursing Core Values and Ethical Standards

Write a 5-6 page reflection on your professional identity as a professional nurse.

Introduction

Where we stand on ethical issues can be a point of contention and an opportunity for deeper discussion as we make judgments on how to shape our decision-making, as advanced practice nurses. There are evolving circumstances that arise frequently that require us to keep a pulse on where we stand on important issues that impact our advanced practice nursing decisions.

Overview

Understanding your professional identity can help you be a more effective health care professional, both within the context of personal well-being and in driving positive client outcomes. This assessment asks you to examine your professional identity within the context of nursing’s core values, professional organizations, behavior models, leadership, and evaluation. You can promote your ability to make decisions and collaborate and communicate openly, as well as have a more confidence in yourself, when you come to an understanding of how your professional identity relates to these aspects of practice.

Instructions

In this assessment, you will write a 5–6 page paper in which you will take an introspective approach to reflect on what shapes the ways you identify as a professional nurse. In this paper, address the following:

• Critique your personal and professional practices in the context of nursing’s core values.
  • Describe your personal view of the professional identity of a nurse.
  • Identify the ways you demonstrate the following core values in your personal and professional practices:
    • Social justice.
  • Identify how your professional practices uphold a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion for both patients and colleagues?
• Identify professional organizations that reflect personal nursing values and identity.
  • What mission, vision, or values of the selected organizations align with your personal or professional core values?
  • How does the identified professional organizations help to improve your personal practice?
• Reflect on how your personal actions model ethical behaviors in nursing practice and leadership.
  • Consider what ethical behaviors are inherent in the nursing profession, and reflect on how your personal actions model those behaviors.
  • Identify some potential solutions to use when unethical behaviors are observed.
• Reflect on situations in which you mentored others in the development of their professional growth and accountability.
  • Consider a time when you formally or informally mentored someone in the development of their professional growth and accountability. If you have not mentored someone, can you think of a time you were mentored instead?
  • Consider how the experience provided personal benefit, as well as benefits to the care team as a whole.
• Evaluate strategies and methods for effective peer review.
  • From your Assessment 2 resources, identify two peer review strategies or methods that you found useful.
  • Identify the benefits and drawbacks of the strategies and methods presented.
• Reflect on an experience in the evaluation of other members of a care team.
  • Consider if there has there been a time in your professional practice that you were involved in the evaluation of a peer or were evaluated by a peer.
  • Share details about that experience and whether or not it demonstrated effective evaluation techniques.

Submissions Requirements

• Length of narrative:5–6 double-spaced, typed pages. Your narrative should be succinct yet substantive.
• Number of references:Cite a minimum of 2–4 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your critique, reflection, and evaluation. Current source materials are defined as no older than five years, unless it is a seminal work. Be sure to cite evidence to support that your information is evidence-based.
• APA formatting:Resources and citations are formatted according to APA style.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 2: Contribute to a workplace environment that promotes personal health and professional growth.
  • Reflect on situations in which they mentored others in the development of their professional growth and accountability.
  • Evaluate strategies and methods for effective peer review.
  • Reflect on an experience in the evaluation of other members of a care team.
• Competency 3: Reflect on your personal and professional practices in the context of the core values and ethical standards of nursing.
  • Critique their personal and professional practices in the context of nursing’s core values.
  • Identify professional organizations that reflect personal nursing values and identity.
  • Reflect on how personal actions model ethical behaviors in nursing practice and leadership.
• Competency 4: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational, professional, and scholarly standards.
  • Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational and professional standards.
  • Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references, exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.

Scoring Guide

Use the scoring guide to understand how your assessment will be evaluated.

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Criterion 1

Critique their personal and professional practices in the context of nursing’s core values.

Distinguished

Critiques their personal and professional practices in the context of nursing’s core values. Specifically notes ways in which their practices uphold a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion for both patients and colleagues.

Proficient

Critiques their personal and professional practices in the context of nursing’s core values.

Basic

Describes their personal and professional practices, but does not offer a full critique in the context of nursing’s core values.

Non Performance

Does not describe their personal and professional practices.

Criterion 2

Identify professional organizations that reflect personal nursing values and identity.

Distinguished

Identifies professional organizations that reflect personal nursing values and identity, and notes how the identified professional organizations can help to improve personal practice.

Proficient

Identifies professional organizations that reflect personal nursing values and identity.

Basic

Identifies professional organization relevant to nursing values and identity in general, but does not make the connection to how they reflect personal values and identity.

Non Performance

Does not identify professional organization relevant to nursing values and identity in general.

Criterion 3

Reflect on how personal actions model ethical behaviors in nursing practice and leadership.

Distinguished

Reflects on how personal actions model ethical behaviors in nursing practice and leadership, and provides potential solutions when unethical behaviors are observed.

Proficient

Reflects on how personal actions model ethical behaviors in nursing practice and leadership.

Basic

Describes personal actions in nursing practice and leadership or ethical behaviors in general; however, does not offer a true reflection or fails to make the connection between the two.

Non Performance

Does not describe personal actions in nursing practice and leadership or ethical behaviors in general.

Criterion 4

Reflect on situations in which they mentored others in the development of their professional growth and accountability.

Distinguished

Reflects on situations in which they mentored others in the development of their professional growth and accountability, and provides specific examples of actions that had positive impacts on mentees.

Proficient

Reflects on situations in which they mentored others in the development of their professional growth and accountability.

Basic

Explains situations in which they mentored others, but does not make a clear connection to how the mentoring impacted the professional growth and accountability of mentees.

Non Performance

Does not explain situations in which they mentored others.

Criterion 5

Evaluate strategies and methods for effective peer review.

Distinguished

Evaluates strategies and methods for effective peer review, and notes the benefits and drawbacks of the strategies and methods presented.

Proficient

Evaluates strategies and methods for effective peer review.

Basic

Describes strategies and methods for peer review, but does not offer an evaluation of the strategies and methods presented.

Non Performance

Does not describe strategies and methods for peer review.

Criterion 6

Reflect on an experience in the evaluation of other members of a care team.

Distinguished

Reflects on an experience in the evaluation of other members of a care team, and notes how the experience provided personal benefit, as well as benefits to the care team as a whole.

Proficient

Reflects on an experience in the evaluation of other members of a care team.

Basic

Describes a time when other members of the care team were evaluated, but does not offer a true reflection on the personal impact of the evaluation or the impact on the care team.

Non Performance

Does not describe a time when other members of the care team were evaluated.

Criterion 7

Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational and professional standards.

Distinguished

Communicates effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational and professional standards. Contains almost no errors.

Proficient

Communicates effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational and professional standards.

Basic

Attempts to communicate with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational and professional standards; however, moderate errors negatively impact the clarity or the reader’s ability to understand.

Non Performance

Communication has many errors that detract from the submission and make it very difficult for the reader to understand.

Criterion 8

Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references, exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.

Distinguished

Exhibits strict and flawless adherence to APA formatting of headings, in-text citations, and references. Quotes and paraphrases correctly.

Proficient

Applies APA formatting to in-text citations and references, exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.

Basic

Applies APA formatting to in-text citations, headings, and references incorrectly or inconsistently, detracting noticeably from the content. Inconsistently uses headings, quotes, or paraphrasing.

Non Performance

Does not apply APA formatting to headings, in-text citations, and references. Does not use quotes or paraphrase correctly.

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