Toward building an international consensus in professional values

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Ethics
• Professional Development

Background:

• Professional values are crucial in nursing, with national codes emphasizing their importance.
• A gap exists in systematic research on commonalities in professional values among nurses.
• Understanding these values is vital for consistent, ethical nursing practice globally.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the congruence of professional values among nursing students in England and the USA.
• To identify commonalities and potential differences in core professional values within the nursing profession.
• To contribute to a larger international study on professional values in nursing.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Professional Values Scale (PVS) instrument for data collection.
• Surveyed a cohort of 130 nursing students from England and the USA.
• Employed quantitative methods to analyze the congruence of values.

Main Results:

• A high degree of congruence in professional values was observed among the surveyed nursing students.
• Identified specific areas where nursing students' values aligned significantly.
• Noted minor incongruencies that may be attributable to cultural and educational differences.

Conclusions:

• Nursing students across different cultural contexts (England and USA) demonstrate substantial agreement on core professional values.
• The findings support the universality of certain professional values in nursing education and practice.
• Cultural and educational variations may influence subtle differences in professional value expression.