Nurse practitioner ethicist reconsidered: A nominally flawed proposition?

Abstract

In this paper we respectfully present a counter argument to Jesse Michael Kay’s thesis, as we understand it, in his article titled, “The Nurse Practitioner Ethicist: Distinct from a Nurse Ethicist?” Foundational to our analysis is that we take the distinction between nursing as a discipline and a practice profession, and clinical ethics as an emerging discipline seriously. The distinctions between them are well described in the literature. The two have different reasons for existence. While we agree that one’s professional background can inform a secondary endeavor such as clinical ethics the goals are incommensurable. Moreover, we present an expanded definition of nursing ethics to explain the historical development of nursing goals and perspectives and its codes of ethics or conduct. Importantly, we provide support for the assertion that nurse practitioners are nurses in expanded roles but still accountable to nursing codes of ethics. Additionally, nurses who are working in the role of clinical ethicist are accountable to the goals of clinical ethics.