Using a feminist framework for investigating staff nurses' philosophies of nursing

The objective of this study is to explore and describe registered nurses' stated philosophies, beliefs, and values about nursing. A qualitative, phenomenological method was used. Unstructured interviews with nine master's prepared registered nurses were conducted, with recurrent themes identified as: nurse as change agent, nurses as an oppressed group, nursing as self-identity, nursing as commitment, nursing as ethical value, and nursing as technical function. A comparison between feminist values and participant statements showed that although the nurses did not identify themselves as feminists, their espoused values were congruent with those of feminism.