Welcome to Ethics & Ethical Standards for Nurses & Midwives (NMC)
Nursing ethics gets taught, too often, as medical ethics with the word “doctor” quietly swapped for “nurse.” That does nursing a disservice. The ethical territory a nurse or midwife actually works in, the sustained relationship with a patient over a shift or a pregnancy rather than a single consultation, the position of being present for the moments a doctor often isn’t, the specific weight the NMC Code puts on advocacy, has its own real shape. This course is built around that shape, not borrowed from someone else’s.
Everything here is grounded in The Code, the NMC’s actual standard (2018, updated since), and in the same UK-wide law that governs consent and capacity regardless of which regulator you’re registered with, Montgomery v Lanarkshire, the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Where nursing and midwifery genuinely diverge from medicine, in advocacy, in the nature of sustained care, in end-of-life nursing specifically, this course says so directly rather than pretending the ethics are identical.
- Apply the four ethical principles to real nursing and midwifery situations
- Assess whether consent is genuinely valid, and work through a capacity assessment properly
- Recognise the limits of confidentiality, and meet the professional duty of candour
- Reason through a probity concern and know when raising it is an ethical duty, not just a process
- Work through a genuine ethical dilemma using a structured method, and apply it to end-of-life nursing care
- Explain what’s actually distinct about nursing ethics, not just repeat medical ethics with different words
Who this is for
Any nurse or midwife registered with the NMC, at any career stage, in any setting, ward-based, community, mental health, learning disability, or midwifery. If you’ve taken a generic “healthcare ethics” course before and it never quite named your actual role, this one does.
This course explains the ethical standard and the reasoning behind it. It is not legal advice and does not replace professional representation. If a concern has been raised about your practice, speak to your union or professional indemnity provider before you act. This course teaches the standard, it doesn’t advise on your specific case.
Structure How this course is organised +
Five modules, four knowledge checks, and a final 15-question assessment. Score 80% to unlock your certificate.
- Module 1 — the four principles and what The Code actually asks of you
- Module 2 — consent, capacity, and autonomy in nursing and midwifery care
- Module 3 — confidentiality, candour, and records as an ethical discipline
- Module 4 — honesty, probity, and the ethical duty to speak up
- Module 5 — a structured method for dilemmas, end-of-life nursing, and what makes nursing ethics genuinely distinct
Around 2.5 hours in total, worth 2.5 CPD hours.
Pairs with Professionalism & Professional Standards for Nurses & Midwives (NMC) +
These two courses are designed as a pair. This one covers ethical reasoning through hard decisions. The Professionalism course covers standing conduct: competence, delegation, workplace culture, and everyday trust. Together they give a genuinely complete picture of what The Code expects.
