Professional values and ethical sensitivities of student nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic

Professional values in nursing are the foundation of ethical practice affecting patient care quality.

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the development of professional values and ethical sensitivities among new nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A prospective observational study with a pre-test and post-test design was used. The sample constituted students (n = 302). The Nurses Professional Values Scale-Revised and Modified Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire for Student Nurses were used for collecting data.

Professional values post-test mean scores of participants were significantly higher than the pre-test scores (p < 0.001). No significant difference was determined between the pre-test and post-test mean scores of ethical sensitivity (p > 0.05).

The current study concluded that the professional values of newly graduated nurses developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there was no change in ethical sensitivities.

This study provides one of the first pieces of evidence for nursing educators and managers to assess the professional values and ethical sensitivities of newly qualified nurses who may have been affected both during and after the outbreak. Newly qualified nurses should are valued members of the health care institutions, and orientation programmes should be implemented to improve their perceptions of the profession.