Values of nursing students: a descriptive qualitative study

Values are foundational principles that guide individuals' actions and behaviors. In nursing education, personal and professional values should be harmonised to promote both professional development and the delivery of high quality care. However, limited research has examined the integration of these values or nursing students' needs for values-based actions. The Acceptance and Commitment Approach may be an innovative perspective for the understanding of nursing students' values. This study aimed to explore nursing students' personal and professional values, the relationship between these values, and their needs for values-based actions, through the lens of the Acceptance and Commitment Approach.

This study adopted a descriptive qualitative design, guided by the Acceptance and Commitment Approach. Data were collected through semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 20 final-year nursing students, selected via purposive sampling. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed manually using deductive thematic analysis based on the core constructs of the approach. Ethical approval and informed consent (both written and verbal) were obtained before data collection.

Two main themes were identified: (1) Values, including personal values (such as kindness, dignity, and helpfulness), professional values (such as respect, advocacy, and holistic care), the importance of harmony between personal and professional values, and living a meaningful life with values; and (2) Needs for Values-Based Actions, encompassing psychosocial needs (e.g., clarifying values, building communication skills, managing stress, and developing self-confidence) and educational needs (e.g., receiving constructive feedback, observing role models).

As a result, the alignment of personal and professional values is crucial for fostering meaningful lives and delivering high-quality patient care. Moreover, this study identified that nursing students possess core values that guide their practices and that they have psychosocial and educational needs to engage in values-based actions. Therefore, the integration of value-centred approaches into nursing curricula is essential to promote holistic, ethically based, and patient-centred care practices.