Introduction: Registered nurses assume ethical, moral, professional and criminal responsibility for their work. Assumed responsibilities are not only statutory, but also ethical and moral. Registered nurses hold accountabilities to their patients, colleagues, their employer, to their profession, the wider society and ultimately themselves. They undertake responsibility for their work, their actions and fort the provided care. Purpose: The purpose of this diploma work is to present, in a transparent and terminologically appropriate manner, different types of responsibilities borne by nursing care providers in the Republic of Slovenia. The main characteristics of the Continental legal system and Common law legal system will be presented as well. Court decisions of the courts of both legal systems will also be presented and further analyzed. Methods: In this diploma work we will use a descriptive method of work with regards of reviewing scientific and professional literature in Slovene and English language. The methods of analysis and interpretation will be used mainly to present the basic definitions of the various types of responsibilities attributed to nursing profession. The comparative method will be used to analyze the case study of selected court decisions Results: Different types of legal responsibilities for registered nurses begin at the highest level, which is constitutional level. Further the types of responsibilities are dealt with in individual legal fields by the applicable legal regulations in the field of civil and criminal law. Registered nurses in Slovenia are also bound by ethical and moral responsibilities. Detailed analysis of selected court decisions has shown and confirmed that the courts have so far established the responsibility of registered nurses in both the criminal and civil legal fields. Discussion and conclusion: For registered nurses it is not enough for them only to know the applicable standards by which they are required to work on daily basis. It is also essential that they are aware as well as, they must know and understand the scope of applicable legal regulations regarding liability and the ethical and moral principles by which registered nurses are bound in their profession.
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