Ley 266 de 1996: the nursing profession in Colombia
- Law
Law 266 of 1996 regulates nursing in Colombia: what it is, its principles, its bodies, its duties and its rights.
What it is
Law 266 of 1996 regulates the practice of the nursing profession in Colombia. It defines nursing as a liberal profession and a social discipline, and sets its principles (comprehensiveness, individuality, dialogue, quality and continuity), its scope of practice, competencies, duties and rights. It creates the National Technical Council of Nursing and the National Nursing Ethics Tribunal, with departmental tribunals. Law 911 of 2004 later developed the code of professional ethics and the disciplinary process.
Key articles
- Art. 1: regulates the practice of the profession, its nature, purpose, scope, principles, governing bodies, obligations and rights.
- Art. 2: besides constitutional principles, comprehensiveness (the person in all dimensions), individuality (respect for diversity), dialogue (effective communication), quality and continuity apply.
- Art. 3: its purpose is to promote health, prevent disease, take part in treatment and rehabilitation, relieve pain and contribute to a dignified life.
- Art. 4: practised in an interdisciplinary way, where people live, work and study, and in health institutions.
- Art. 14: registration requires a recognised or validated university nursing degree; it is shown by the professional card.
- Art. 17: competencies: take part in health policy, direct health and nursing services, set quality standards, and carry out care, management, research and teaching.
- Art. 19: professional nurses organise, direct, control and evaluate nursing services and watch that staffing is sufficient.
- Art. 20: duties: comprehensive care coordinated with the team, quality without discrimination, acting under the code of ethics and ensuring adequate staffing.
What it covers
- Chapter I: purpose and principles.
- Chapter II: nature and scope of practice.
- Chapters III and IV: National Technical Council and Nursing Ethics Tribunal.
- Chapter V: registration of professionals.
- Chapter VI: competencies, quality, duties and rights; illegal practice.
In nursing practice
- Dialogue and individuality require respectful communication and care adapted to each person's culture.
- The continuity principle backs a good handoff: care is not interrupted.
- Art. 21: the professional has the right to a healthy, safe workplace and to the human and material resources needed.
- Complaints about ethical-professional misconduct go to the nursing ethics tribunals.
Status and official text
- Official text checked on 2026-11-05 on secretariasenado.gov.co and funcionpublica.gov.co (Gestor Normativo).
- In force, with amendments: Law 911 of 2004 (art. 74) repealed numeral 1 of art. 11 (adopting the code of ethics).
- Law 962 of 2005 (art. 64) removed the Minister of Education from the National Technical Council of Nursing (art. 7).
- Related norm: Law 1164 of 2007 regulates the health workforce; its art. 23 (amended by Decree-Law 2106 of 2019) created the single national health workforce register (ReTHUS) and made the professional card digital.
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
How does Colombia's Law 266 of 1996 define nursing?
As a liberal profession and a social discipline (art. 3).
What are the specific principles of nursing practice under Law 266 of 1996?
Comprehensiveness, individuality, dialogue, quality and continuity, complemented by timeliness (art. 2).
Which bodies does Law 266 of 1996 create?
The National Technical Council of Nursing (art. 5) and the National Nursing Ethics Tribunal (art. 10), with their departmental counterparts.
Which norm repealed numeral 1 of article 11 of Law 266 of 1996?
Law 911 of 2004, in its article 74.
Elsewhere in DurgiPedia
Connections
Educational content for students; it does not replace your institution's protocols, supervised clinical training or a prescriber's order. Dose-calculation examples use made-up numbers: they are educational, not a clinical order.
Sources: Ley 266 de 1996, por la cual se reglamenta la profesión de enfermería en Colombia (Secretaría General del Senado de la República, 1996); Ley 266 de 1996 (Función Pública, Gestor Normativo, 1996); Ley 1164 de 2007, disposiciones en materia del talento humano en salud (Secretaría General del Senado de la República, 2007).
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