Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
Common metaphors in nursing ethics
1California Baptist University, Riverside, CA 92504, USA. constancemilton@yahoo.com
Abstract:
Metaphors are literary comparisons that are used to create new meaning and insight for concepts, ideas, and situations found in a discipline. This author describes some common moral metaphors used in the discipline of nursing and specifically in situations of nursing ethics. New insights and questions for common usage are offered for the metaphors from a nursing theoretical perspective. Implications for nursing as a discipline are incorporated and discussion points for the future practice of nursing are illuminated.
Related Concept Videos
Nursing Code of Ethics
Nursing Ethical Principles I
Autonomy
Autonomy underscores the significance of a patient's self-determination and freedom from external control. In healthcare, respecting the...
Ethical Issues
Ethical Concerns in Healthcare:
Ethical Dilemmas I
Let us explore some examples to understand the potentially complex moral decisions nurses face.
Take the case of caring for minors, particularly in areas related to reproductive...
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
Ethical Standards I
The Code of Ethics provisions outline the nurse's duty to the patient, the healthcare team, the profession, and society. The Code's fundamental principles include advocacy,...