Nursing Students’ Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
About the Nursing Student's Bill of Rights and Responsibilities
The Nursing Students' Bill of Rights and Responsibilities was adopted by the 2005 CNSA National Assembly at the National Conference held in Windsor.
Rights
Nursing students have the right to educational opportunities to develop critical
judgment and engage in sustained and collaborative inquiry.
Nursing students have the right to current, accurate and credible evidence-based
information and course content.
Nursing students have the right to supportive, educational and safe teaching and
learning environments.
Nursing students have the right to freedom from exclusion from an educational
institution or clinical agency on the basis of race, creed, gender, national origin,
spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation or marital status.
Nursing students have the right to learn as a part of the educational process and right to
teach in the context of the nursing process.
Nursing students have the right to transparent and objective evaluation and marking
processes.
Nursing students have the right to take reasoned exception to the data or views
offered in any course of study and to reserve judgment about matters of opinion.
Nursing students have the right to study in an environment that promotes equal
opportunities and a climate of mutual respect and understanding, free from
harassment and discrimination.
Nursing students should have the right to a voice in the ongoing development of their
educational programs by participating in academic committees and course, program
and faculty evaluations.
Nursing students have the right to policies about what information should be part of a
student's permanent educational record. These policies should be transparent and
available to nursing students.
Nursing students have the right to examine and discuss areas of study or specific clinical
practice that are of interest to them and to express opinions publicly and privately.
Responsibilities
Nursing students are responsible and accountable for learning and teaching in a
conscientious manner.
Nursing students are responsible for providing support for and advocating for a full
continuum of health services, including health promotion and disease prevention and
restorative, rehabilitative and palliative care services.
Nursing students are responsible for participating, to the best of their abilities, in
research and other activities that contribute to the ongoing development of nursing
knowledge.
Nursing students are responsible for respecting and promoting the autonomy of
clients and helping them to express their health needs and values and to obtain
appropriate information about, and services for, their health.
Nursing students are responsible for maintaining a client’s dignity and treating all
clients with respect.
Nursing students are responsible for protecting the confidentiality of their clients’
personal and health information.
Nursing students are responsible for providing appropriate nursing care to all clients.
Nursing students are responsible for completing assignments and practicums
according to expected outcomes.
Nursing students are responsible for seeking out and using available evidence, best
practices, current information, research and technologies.
Nursing student responsibilities 4, 5, 6 and 7 have been adapted from the definitions for the nursing
values of choice, dignity, confidentiality and justice in the Canadian Nurses Association’s Code of
Ethics for Registered Nurses, 2002, p. 8.
NSNA Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for Students of Nursing (1991). National Student Nurses’
Association, Inc., 45 Main Street, Suite 606, Brooklyn, New York 11201.
Adapted from NSNA Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for Students of Nursing, 1991.
