The American Nurses Association defines ethics as including which components?

• A. Hospital policy and Code of Ethics
• B. Scope of practice and Code of Ethics
• C. Clinical trial regulations
• D. Financial compliance

Answer: (B)

The main idea is understanding what the ANA includes as the ethical framework for nursing. The ANA defines ethics as the nurse’s professional obligations and duties that guide practice, which are captured most directly by the Code of Ethics for Nurses and by the scope of practice. The Code of Ethics lays out the values, commitments, and duties nurses uphold, while the scope of practice defines the legitimate actions and boundaries of nursing work within a license. Together, they form the ethical foundation for how nurses should think and act in all patient care.

Hospital policy influences how things are done in a particular setting, but it isn’t the core ethical standard itself. Clinical trial regulations are about research governance and safety, not the everyday ethical duties of nursing, and financial compliance concerns budgeting and governance rather than ethics. So the combination of the Code of Ethics and scope of practice best reflects what the ANA includes in ethics.