Nurses', nursing students', and nursing instructors' perceptions of professional values: A comparative study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professionalism
• Value Systems in Healthcare

Background:

• Professional values are crucial for demonstrating commitment within the nursing profession.
• While many studies address nursing values, few compare the understanding among nurses, students, and instructors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the perceptions of nursing professional values among nurses, nursing students, and nursing instructors.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive-comparative study utilizing the revised Nurses' Professional Values Scale.
• Data collected from 299 nurses, 341 nursing students, and 100 nursing instructors across three university hospitals.
• Statistical analysis performed using SPSS version 22.

Main Results:

• Significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed in the perception of professional values across all dimensions among the three groups.
• Justice was the highest-rated domain (mean scores: 4.23 nurses, 3.92 students, 4.34 instructors).
• Activism received the lowest importance (mean scores: 3.40 nurses, 3.29 students, 3.55 instructors).

Conclusions:

• Overall mean scores indicate that professional values are perceived as relatively important or important by all groups.
• Identified differences necessitate targeted educational strategies to enhance awareness and performance in nursing professional duties.
• Further research is needed to address existing controversies regarding professional values in nursing.