Discuss why nurses have a responsibility to uphold a standard of conduct consistent with the standards governing the profession of nursing at work and in their personal lives. Include discussion of how personal conduct can violate HIPAA or be considered unethical or unprofessional

. Provide an example of each to support your answer. Nurses have a responsibility to uphold a standard of conduct consistent with the standards governing the profession of nursing at work and in their personal lives. In most cases, nurses are the faces of the hospital and healthcare facilities. When patients visit hospitals for assistance, they first meet the nurses. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, nurses were at the frontline of fighting the virus. Therefore, nurses are responsible for upholding a standard of conduct because they represent their respective hospitals and the nursing profession in general. Additionally, nurses also have a duty to self and others, and must act accordingly at their workplace and in their private lives (National Council of State Boards of Nursing 2018). The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal law that protects the flow of healthcare information (Brief, asa dix legal, 2018). Information is a sensitive matter in healthcare and the nursing profession. Therefore, personal conduct can violate the directions given by HIPAA. For example, if a nurse shares confidential information about patients or colleagues on social media, it is punishable by law. If a nurse goes on social media and postss information regarding a patient without the patient's consent, it can be considered