Introduction: Nursing ethics is a branch of professional ethics which applies ethics and ethical decision-making in the realm of nursing. The aim of this study was the assessment of the relationship between awareness on ethical codes and nursing errors reported by the staff in Persian Gulf hospitals of Bushehr University of Medical Sciences in 2014.

Methods: This study had a descriptive cross-sectional design. The study population included all the nurses in Persian Gulf hospitals of Bushehr in 2014, of which finally 160 patients were enrolled. The sampling method was census and for data analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, t-test and ANOVA were used.

Results: Nurses’ awareness of ethical codes comprised %57 poor, %19 moderate and %24 strong recognition. The average nursing error was 15.38 ± 16.82. The relationship between the knowledge and the average nursing error was statistically significant (P <0.05). Between demographic factors and the knowledge and error rate was no statistically significant relationship.

Conclusions: It is recommended to implement professional ethics education, in order to enhance professional ethics and reduce nursing errors. This program must be a top priorityfor nursing students and staff.