PERCEPTION OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AMONG SENIOR BACCALAUREATE NURSING STUDENTS.
Contributors: Ohio State University.
Published: 1987
Number of pages: 232
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The problem was explicated as an apparent discrepancy between the values inculcated through professional socialization of nursing students and the compromising of professional values, which takes place in the "real world" of nursing care. The purpose of the study was to investigate, describe and explain what senior baccalaureate nursing students internalize as the professional values and further to describe what they perceived as a commitment to professional ethics in nursing practice. Seven research questions were posed.

The method was qualitative, specifically the design was a blend of inductive as described by Glaser and Strauss (1967) and deductive as outlined by Miles and Huberman (1983). The sample consisted of 23 senior baccalaureate nursing students of a total population of 120 who were in their final clinical rotation before graduation. Subjects were volunteers who gave informed consent having been briefed on the purposes of the study, and how their confidentiality would be protected. Data were collected three ways: (1) audiotaped interviews; (2) oral responses to a hypothetical ethical dilemma; and (3) written clinical logs. Content analysis was conducted on all data.

Results of the study revealed that subjects perceived two concepts to be central to their view of nursing ethics. These were: (1) respect and (2) caring.

Respect was categorized into: (1) respect for patients and families and (2) respect for self, colleagues and the profession. Caring was defined by the subjects as "all the little things"; showing love and concern; "taking time": getting involved; being cheerful and friendly; being empathic; a good listener and, being open and honest. Caring was found to be painful and risky.

Conclusions. The following conclusions were drawn based on analysis of data: (1) Respect and caring were perceived as nursing's essential ethics. (2) Subjects perceived that ethical nursing was evidenced in ordinary everday nurse-patient interactions and collegial relationships. (3) Subjects evidenced integration of theoretical ethics in their perceptions of nursing practice. (4) The "school" was identified as the most influential force in forming subjects' views of themselves as ethical practitioners. (5) Subjects' responses to the hypothetical ethical dilemma evidenced moral reasoning. (6) Subjects were not naive about the "real world" of nursing practice.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-03, Section: B, page: 0693.

Thesis (PH.D.)--THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY, 1987.

School code: 0168.