Professionalism Quality of care. Nursing is a profession, and there are codes of conduct and standards laid down by the professional body. On a personal level the nurses had their own standards and professional identity, which influenced their behaviour in such aspects as housekeeping, price in work and treatment of the patients (issues of dignity, privacy and safety).The professional consideration of patient safety is evident in the extract below, which also highlights the difference in attitude towards an animate load, where the nurse must put the safety of the load before her own physical well-being.