Provision 5
The nurse has moral duties to self as a person of inherent dignity and worth including an expectation of a safe place to work that fosters flourishing, authenticity of self at work, and self-respect through integrity and professional competence.
5.5 Human Flourishing
Flourishing is an aspirational state, not an emotion. At its core, it is about a life well lived, both as an individual and in community with others. It is neither a stand-alone nor a simple ethical concept and is inextricably tied to virtue, goodness, community, and practice. Nursing recognizes that persons are inherently relational, rational, vulnerable, and in need of care. We depend on the care of others and the health of the natural and social environments to survive and thrive. This dependence should prompt nurses to nurture social relationships that embrace meaning and purpose as well as advocate for healthy environments. Each person belongs to a range of personal and professional communities in which they have sustaining, though at times unequal, relationships of giving and receiving that support the growth and development of reason and virtue and frame one’s duties and obligations. It is a network of relationships-in-community that serve the common good.
Interdependence and reciprocity are tied directly to flourishing as both members of the world community and members of the nursing community. As a member of the world community, nurses’ expression of self, unique talents, and lived experiences benefit the nursing profession, lending innovation, transformation, and guided direction. As a member of the nursing community, nurses are afforded the opportunity to engage in fluid, reciprocal, professional relationships built upon networks of giving and receiving support, education, mentoring, and fulfillment, to reinforce our purpose as nurses. This means nurses ought to embody values such as inclusivity, compassion, and ethical comportment to strengthen the nursing community and foster one’s own flourishing.