The facilitation of professional values amongst student nurses in the North-West Province: research

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to formulate guidelines to facilitate the internalisation of professional values in student nurses in order to enable them to become caring registered nurses. To realise this goal, the researcher followed a quantitative, qualitative, descriptive, exploratory and contextual approach. In Phase One of the study, data was collected from the nurse educators through focus group interviews and from the student nurses by means of written narratives. The groups separately described their perceptions about those professional values they deemed important for nursing and how these professional values should be taught to student nurses in order to make them caring registered nurses. Conceptualisation was undertaken in Phase Two. Phase Three focused on document analysis to evaluate whether the identified professional values and teaching strategies were reflected in the college curriculum. Guidelines were formulated in the last phase. These guidelines could be used by the nurse educators to facilitate caring among students as registered nurses. Some of the identified professional values and teaching strategies were indeed reflected in the college curriculum. However, the evaluation of tests and examinations did not seem to confirm that these professional values were taught, nor that the teaching strategies had indeed been used. The guidelines highlighted that the values identified should form part of the college curriculum.



Die doel van hierdie studie was om riglyne te formuleer om die internalisering van professionele waardes in studenteverpleegkundiges te fasiliteer wat hulle in staat sal stel om praktisyns wat omgee, te word. Om hierdie doel te bereik, het die navorser 'n kwantitatiewe, kwalitatiewe, verkennende, beskrywende en kontekstualiserende benadering gevolg. In Fase Een van die studie, is data deur middel van fokusgroeponderhoude met verpleegopvoeders en geskrewe verhale/sketse deur studenteverpleegkundiges versamel. Hierdie groepe is afsonderlik gevra om hulle persepsies van die belangrike professionele waardes vir die verpleegberoep te beskryf asook hoe hierdie professionele waardes aan studenteverpleegkundiges onderrig moet word om van hulle praktisyns wat omgee, te maak. Konseptualisering is in Fase Twee onderneem. Fase Drie het gefokus op dokumentanalise om vas te stel of die professionele waardes en onderrigstrategieë wat geïdentifiseer is, in die kollegekurrikulum gereflekteer word. Riglyne wat verpleegopvoeders kan gebruik om "omgee" by studente as verpleegpraktisyns te fasiliteer is in Fase Vier van die studie geformuleer. Sommige van die geïdentifiseerde professionele waardes en onderrigstrategieë word wel in die kurrikulum van die kollege gereflekteer. Nieteenstaande het die evaluering van toetse en eksamenvraestelle nie bevestig dat professionele waardes wel onderrig word nie, of dat die onderrigstrategieë wel toegepas word nie. Die riglyne het aangedui dat die geïdentifiseerde waardes deel van die kollegekurrikulum moet wees.


(Health SA Gesondheid: interdisciplinary research journal: 2003 8(3): 26-36)