Going through the motions: the ethics of process

This article takes the position that the current ethic of nursing is inadequate. It is limited to an ethic of process. This ethic limits the discipline of nursing to process-oriented activities, including research and the clinical nursing process. These processes are not, however, unique to nursing but are shared by all professional disciplines. Nursing will continue to be insufficient without the development of structure or expert clinical knowledge accompanied by an ethic of accountability.