Exploring Professional Values of Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Healthcare Professionalism
• Student Development

Background:

• Professional values are crucial for nursing practice and patient care.
• Understanding undergraduate nursing students' perspectives on professional values is essential for curriculum development.
• Previous research has explored professional values, but context-specific factors in Vietnam require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess undergraduate nursing students' perceptions of professional values.
• To identify factors associated with professional values among these students.
• To inform educational strategies for enhancing professional socialization in nursing.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional descriptive study involving 530 undergraduate nursing students in Central Vietnam.
• Data collected via self-administered questionnaires assessing demographics, academic characteristics, and professional values using the Nurses Professional Values Scale-3.
• Convenience sampling was employed for participant recruitment.

Main Results:

• Nursing students demonstrated moderate overall professional values (mean score 97.2 ± 13.8 out of 140).
• The 'caring' domain scored highest (35.9 ± 5.5), followed by 'activism' (34.8 ± 5.5) and 'professionalism' (26.6 ± 3.7).
• Living area, nursing major satisfaction, and clinical experience were independently associated with total professional values.

Conclusions:

• Professional values in nursing students are shaped by educational, contextual, and experiential factors.
• While caring is well-recognized, lower scores in activism and professionalism suggest a need for greater emphasis in nursing education.
• Targeted educational strategies focusing on advocacy, clinical experience quality, and student satisfaction can foster comprehensive professional value development.