Ethics Education in Advanced Practice Nursing: Respect for Human Dignity

Ethics education is an essential component of academic programs that prepare nurses for advanced practice; the concept of respect for human dignity is integral to this education. Sixty-three graduate students enrolled in their first course of a nurse practitioner program completed a researcher-developed Ethics Questionnaire that was designed to elicit their baseline ethics-related knowledge, including their understanding of the concept "respect for human dignity." Qualitative analysis of data yielded findings that validate the importance of using the American Nurses Association Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements as an essential foundation for ethics content and as a framework for understanding the meaning of human dignity in advanced practice nursing. Assessment and learning strategies are recommended.