Academic and clinical dishonesty in undergraduate nursing students

Title: ACADEMIC AND CLINICAL DISHONESTY IN UNDERGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS. Degreecandidate: Kristal C. Melvin Degree and year: Master of Science in Nursing,1998 Thesisdirectedby: Dr. Ruth M. Carroll The purpose ofthis study was to describe the incidence Of, and reasons for, academic and clinical unethical behaviors among undergraduate nursing Students Currently enrolled in rurally located schools of nursing. Several factors were used for purposes of comparison, including number of years education, type ofnursing education preparation, and exposure to a nursing ethics course. The objective ofthis specific study was tO broaden the available knowledge base in the area ofunethical behavior, by providing data on the self-reported behavior ofnursing students in rurally-located schools oftwo different preparation types: Associate's degree and Baccalaureate. As a profession, nursing has a prescribed Code of Ethics to uphold. In order to maintain and expand upon the respect with which the profession is viewed, nurses must be aware of breaches in ethical behavior by students preparing to enter the profession. Unless nurses are fully aware ofthe prevalence of such behavior, and the pattems involved, the profession will be unable to design appropriate interventions and preventative practices. The target population for this study Was nursing Students enrolled in rurally located undergraduate schools of nursing. The study sample consisted of 177 nursing students, selected from the following schools of nursing; Salisbury State University, Delaware Technical College, and Wor-Wic Community College. Convenience samples of intact classes were sought, with approval of the institution and instructors involved. Subjects were asked to anonymously complete the questionnaire, Hilbert Unethical Behaviors Survey (HUBS). The tool consisted of twenty-two items, each requiring a numerical entry, corresponding with the number oftimes the subject participated in a given behavior. In addition, two qualitative questions were included, regarding the reasons for such behaviors. Permission was obtained from the Human Subjects Committee of Salisbury State University prior to data collection. All data collection was completed by the student researcher, with no one else having access to the completed questionnaires or the raw data, prior to coding. Full disclosure was provided to the subjects, who were then given the instrument, with the explanation that they may choose to participate fully, partially, or not at all. Signed informed consent was not obtained, since participation implied consent. Once data was coded, the questionnaires were destroyed by the student researcher. The findings ofthis study supported only one ofthe hypotheses put forth by the researcher. A positive correlation was found between classroom and clinical behaviors. The other hypotheses which related to quantitative data were not supported. The researcher includes some possible explanations for this finding and some suggestions for further study. The qualitative data obtained in this study were rich and varied, providing insight into the research question regarding reasons and explanations for unethical behaviors. A new model, "Stages of moral development in the professional nurse," was developed by the researcher, based on the information obtained in this study. The implications ofthis model and suggestions for model testing are included.