Professional autonomy and ethical decision-making among graduate and undergraduate nursing majors: a replication

The purpose of this study was to validate the findings of a previous investigation of differences in perceptions of idealistic and realistic moral behavior and attitudes toward autonomy, patients' rights, and traditional role limitations among four groups of nursing students. A sample of 147 associate, generic baccalaureate, degree completion, and master's students anonymously completed the Judgments About Nursing Decisions (JAND) and the Nursing Autonomy and Patient Rights Scale (NAPRS). Only three findings from the original study were validated: that both age and ethics education have effects on attitudes toward autonomy as measured by the NAPRS and that, overall, there is a consistent lack of significant findings on JAND scores among groups studied.