Individual Analysis Paper As nurses, we serve a very culturally diverse society. We provide care to many people who have their own unique set of ethics, values, morals and beliefs that may be very different from ours. Because of our professional role, we must use lifelong learning as a tool to broaden our views, increase our knowledge, and understand the influences that influence it. To make this possible, we must continually inform ourselves about the nursing laws, professional standards and code of ethics to which we are committed. American Nurses Association The American Nurses Association (ANA) has developed a foundation by which all nurses are expected to perform their essential duties in order to meet the needs of the society we serve. The ANA “has long been instrumental in the development of three foundational documents for professional nursing; its code of ethics, its scope, its standards of practice and its social policy statement”. (ANA, 2010, p. 87) The ANA defined nursing as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and ability, the prevention of disease and injury, the alleviation of suffering through diagnosis and human response treatment and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, communities and populations” and used to create the scope and standards of nursing practice. (ANA, 2010, p. 1) These “describe the steps nurses must take to meet clients' healthcare needs.” () The nursing process, for example, is one of the things I use on a daily basis. Other examples include communicating and collaborating with my patients, their families and my colleagues, and being a lifelong learner. I continually research new diagnoses, medications and treatments for my patients. As a nurse of…middle of the paper…” (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014, p. 24) ReferencesAmerican Nurses Association (2010). Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2014). Ethics and issues in contemporary nursing (4th ed.). Stephan Helbra. Cowell, J. M. (2010). . The Journal of School Nursing, 26(6). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.library.ohiou.edu/docview/807964990accountid=12954Di Leonardi, BC (2005). Advanced Practice for Nurses, 1-3. Retrieved from http://nursing.advanceweb.com/Editorial/Search/SearchResult.aspx?KW=lifelong%20learningFowler, MD, and American Nurses Association (2008). Interpretation and Application. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.