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Published on: February 16, 2011
Ethical Dilemmas for Nursing Students and Faculty: In Their Own Voices
Veronica D Feeg1, Diane J Mancino, Cynda Hylton Rushton
1About the Authors Veronica D. Feeg, PhD, RN, FAAN, is associate dean, Barbara H. Hagan School of Nursing, Molloy College, Rockville Centre, New York. Diane J. Mancino, EdD, RN, CAE, FAAN, is executive director, National Student Nurses Association, Brooklyn, New York. Cynda Hylton Rushton, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Anne and George L. Bunting Professor of Clinical Ethics, Berman Institute of Bioethics, and professor, Schools of Nursing and Medicine (Department of Pediatrics), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland. Kyra J. Waligora Mendez, BSN, RN, is a PhD candidate, Jonas Nurse Leader Scholar 2016-2018, and Nurse Faculty for the Future Fellow, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. Jennifer Baierlein, MS, RNC-OB, is a doctoral candidate, Barbara H. Hagan School of Nursing, Molloy College. For more information, contact Dr. Feeg at vfeeg@molloy.edu.
Aim:
The aim of this national study was to explore student and faculty personal experiences of ethical dilemmas in nursing education and clinical practice.
Background:
Nurses encounter complex ethical dilemmas in practice that can lead to moral distress when they cannot "do the right thing" because of external constraints.
Method:
A mixed-methods study via online survey was conducted on senior nursing student members and faculty advisors of the National Student Nurses Association. Over 1,600 students and 600 faculty answered a "two-minute survey" with the question: "Please describe an ethical dilemma you have experienced."
Results:
Descriptive statistics demonstrated a difference in student and faculty reports about the ethics content they received. The qualitative results from constant comparison of open-ended questions also supported differences in themes from student and faculty perspectives.
Conclusion:
This study supports that students and faculty voice their concerns with different ethical dilemmas in their nursing education experiences.
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