Professional responsibility-acquiring process among bachelor degree nursing students: A grounded theory study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Professional Development
• Healthcare Ethics

Background:

• Professional responsibility is crucial for nursing students' performance and the healthcare system.
• The process of acquiring professional responsibility in nursing students remains underexplored in existing literature.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the process by which bachelor degree nursing students acquire professional responsibility.

Main Methods:

• Grounded theory approach utilized, with purposive and theoretical sampling.
• In-depth data collection through 18 individual interviews and one focus group interview.
• Involved bachelor degree nursing students, instructors, and key informants across educational and healthcare settings in Tehran.

Main Results:

• Analysis yielded 6 main categories, 17 primary categories, 64 subcategories, and 1747 initial codes.
• The central theme identified was optimizing the educational period through responsible learning and performance management strategies.
• Facilitators, inhibitors, personal, educational, and professional context factors influenced this process, with consequences related to student and patient safety.

Conclusions:

• Understanding this acquisition process can inform the development, enhancement, and assessment of professional responsible behaviors in nursing students.
• Recommendations for further research in this critical area are highlighted.