When nurses enter a hospital or clinic to start their shift, they never know exactly what awaits them. Every day brings new, often complex cases and fresh challenges. What remains consistent, however, are the nursing core values that guide every patient interaction and care decision. Nursing core values are the principles by which nurses make ethical decisions that are aligned with accepted standards and in the patients’ best interests.

When you become a nurse after earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree, adhering to your core nursing values can help you provide the best possible care in a consistent and ethical manner. At Averett University, our Accelerated BSN (ABSN) program prioritizes academic excellence and personalized instruction. We prepare our graduates to deliver compassionate, evidence-based care in any healthcare setting.

Every future nurse should review and reflect upon the core values of nursing. Some of the main values for nurses include empathy, professionalism, social justice, and respect for human dignity. After exploring the top seven nursing values, consider why those values are important and think about how you can apply them in your own nursing practice.

1. Empathy in Nursing

Being a patient can be difficult, especially for those who have never been hospitalized before, are in a great deal of pain, or speak English as a second language. It’s often challenging for patients to navigate the complex healthcare system, understand their diagnosis, sort through their treatment options, and advocate for their needs. Adding to the problem is the fact that many patients have trouble trusting their healthcare providers.

For all these reasons and more, empathy is one of the most essential nursing core values. Empathy is the ability to understand a situation from another person’s perspective, or to put oneself in another’s shoes. Nurses who empathize with their patients are often better able to provide higher-quality care thanks to clearer, more transparent communication.

Additionally, demonstrating empathy and compassion can go a long way toward building a trusting patient-provider relationship. According to a recent study, patients who trust their clinicians have better health outcomes, adhere more closely to treatment recommendations, are more satisfied with their care, and report higher quality of life.

2. Accountability for Nurses

Accountability is important in every career field, but it’s particularly crucial for nurses. Nurses need the maturity to take ownership of their decisions and actions, including their mistakes. There are two main reasons why accountability is an important nursing value.

First, nurses need to be lifelong learners. Acknowledging one’s mistakes is the first step toward learning from them and doing better in the future. It contributes to professional development and the advancement of the nursing profession.

Second, a nursing error can sometimes lead to significant, adverse consequences for the patient. As an example, a nurse asking a patient about their medications might hear the patient say they take 45 units of long-acting insulin when they actually said they take “four to five units.”

If the nurse fails to confirm the correct dosage and administers 45 units, the patient is likely to develop hypoglycemia. While it’s better to avoid making the mistake at all by confirming the correct dosage, nurses who make errors need to hold themselves accountable and take immediate corrective action.

3. Professionalism in All Interactions

Nurses often work long shifts, face challenging life-or-death situations, and interact with patients, family caregivers, and coworkers who are not always the easiest people to get along with. In short, as rewarding as nursing can be, it can also be stressful at times. No matter how difficult the circumstances, nurses must always remain professional.

A clinician’s professionalism helps reassure nervous patients that they’re in good hands and will receive quality, competent care. Professionalism in nursing also improves the overall work culture, both for fellow nurses and other healthcare workers. Some ways to exhibit professionalism include:

• Communicating clearly
• Delivering exceptional care
• Keeping the focus on the patient’s best interests
• Maintaining a positive attitude
• Maintaining professional integrity
• Serving as an advocate for patients
• Working as part of a team

4. Nursing Autonomy

Nursing autonomy can refer to two different but similar concepts. It involves the nurse’s ability to exercise their professional judgment and make independent care decisions while acting within their scope of practice and adhering to the widely accepted standards of care.

Autonomy also encompasses the patient’s right to autonomy. One of the core values of nursing is upholding a patient’s right to make their own healthcare decisions. A patient can decide to accept or refuse care. It’s the nurse’s job to explain their options, deliver patient education that is free of bias, and accept the patient’s decision.

5. Lifelong Curiosity

Lifelong curiosity is an important nursing value because it speaks to the profession’s continual evolution. Nurses need to be lifelong learners who are committed to professional development. They should regularly review emerging nursing research in their specialty and continue refining their nursing skills throughout their careers.

Nurses are also required to participate in continued post-licensure education to renew their license.

6. Respect for Human Dignity

Nurses need to be committed to respecting human dignity at all times. Patients often find themselves in uncomfortable situations, such as having to wear a revealing hospital gown, providing a urine sample, or being examined in sensitive areas. It’s essential to treat each patient with kindness and respect, and to strive to help them feel more comfortable whenever possible.

7. Social Justice

In nursing, social justice can encompass many things. For example, it includes the equitable distribution of healthcare resources to address healthcare disparities among minority patients. It also involves recognizing and addressing policies that lead to systemic inequities.

Social justice in nursing is particularly important for public health nurses, but nurses of all specialties need to embrace it as one of the top core nursing values. At its heart, social justice in nursing is about recognizing that every person has the right to good health.

Why Are Core Values for Nursing Important?

Your nursing values are what comprise your ethical framework. They shape your approach to nursing and inform your interactions with your patients and coworkers. Your core values also help guide your patient care decisions and enable you to build stronger, more trusting relationships with your patients.

Your values can also prompt you to serve as an effective advocate for your patients’ needs, working to improve healthcare access and create a healing environment that prioritizes patient safety and quality of care.

Cultivate Your Core Values at Averett University

At Averett University, our core values include integrity, innovation, diversity, discovery, and engagement. We prepare our students to become leaders in nursing and push for positive change in their communities, advocating for at-risk populations and delivering compassionate, empathetic care. Averett strives to serve as a welcoming, diverse learning community where all can thrive.

Our students benefit from personalized attention, thanks to our small class sizes and Academic Success Coaches. Our ABSN program also allows you to graduate in as few as 16 months upon completion of any needed prerequisites.

Contact an admissions advisor today to learn more. You may be eligible for our ABSN program if you have a non-nursing degree or at least 60 non-nursing college credits. No prior healthcare experience is required.