Nurse Ethicist: Innovative Resource for Nurses

Nurses are challenged with ethical problems on a daily basis, yet when they are students, nurses may have never had an opportunity to explore the complexities of how ethics will influence every facet of their nursing practice. This article describes how a large health care system, through collaboration between academic and clinical partners, developed a nurse ethicist role to serve both the patient care environment and students in academic programs. The nurse ethicist is charged with creating and sustaining programs in ethics and nursing ethics education with the goal of improving the capacity of nurses to manage the ethical issues inherent in the care of patients in a contemporary, technology-driven health care system. The Program in Nursing Ethics includes staff education, consultation and support, and research. The addition to the faculty of a nurse ethicist who is active in clinical ethics consultation has strengthened the baccalaureate nursing curriculum by providing an instructor who creates and shares a clear vision for how ethics is central to quality nursing care. This article describes the central role of a nurse ethicist in promoting ethical nursing practice.