Introduction. Ethics is inherent to the profession of a nurse. Contact with the infirm requires not only
highly developed sense of morality, but also abiding by the code of ethics for professional nurses.

Aim. Assessing the nurses’ quality of knowledge of ethical principles contained in the Code of Professional
Ethics and the extent of adherence to these principles among professional nurses.

Material and methods. Thirty professional nurses studying nursing extramurally (first year) took part in
the study. The study was conducted by the means of diagnostic opinion poll and questionnaire designed
by researchers.

Results and conclusions. All of the respondents act towards the good of the infirm while performing
their professional duties. However, abiding by the ethical code frequently poses a problem. The ethical
principles regarded as problematic are: the principle of respect towards another person (40%), the
principle of veracity (26.66%), the principle of confidentiality (30%). The nurses observe the need to
include the matter of professional ethics in their training, as well as to pay more heed to the situations in
which ethical principles are violated.