Measuring the qualities of nurses: development and testing of the Qualities of Nurses Scale

Characteristics and values of a British military nurse. International implications of War Zone qualitative research

BACKGROUND

Between 2001 and 2014, British military nurses served in Afghanistan caring for both Service personnel and local nationals of all ages. However, there have been few research studies assessing the effectiveness of the military nurses' operational role and no papers naming the core values and characteristics. This paper is from the only qualitative nursing study completed during this period where data was collected in the War Zone.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the characteristics and values that are intrinsic to military nurses in undertaking their operational role.

DESIGN

A constructivist grounded theory was utilised. The authors designed the interview schedule, and then following a pilot study, conducted and transcribed the discussions. Informed consent and UK Ministry of Defence Research Ethical Committee approval was obtained.

SETTING

Camp Bastion Hospital, Afghanistan, in 2013.

METHOD

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 British Armed Forces nurses.

RESULTS

A theoretical model was developed that identifies the intrinsic characteristics and values required to be a military nurse. Nursing care delivered within the operational environment was perceived as outstanding. Nurses consciously detached themselves from any legal processes and treated each casualty as a vulnerable patient, resulting in care, compassion and dignity being provided for all patients, irrespective of their background, beliefs or affiliations.

CONCLUSION

The study findings provide military nurses with a framework for a realistic personal development plan that will allow them to build upon their strengths as well as to identify and ameliorate potential areas of weakness. Placing nurses first, with a model that focusses on the requirements of a good nurse has the potential to lead to better patient care, and improve the quality of the tour for defence nurses. These findings have international implications and have the potential for transferability to any level of military or civilian nursing practice.

The reasons students choose to undertake a nursing degree

BACKGROUND

Determining the reasons people choose to study nursing may help educators and managers develop student-focussed and enticing nursing programmes. In Australia, little research has been undertaken with students entering nursing programmes and the reasons for their choice.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine why new students choose to enter nursing at university.

DESIGN

A descriptive survey design.

SETTING

An urban university in Sydney, Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Undergraduate nursing students at the beginning of their first year of study.

METHOD

An open-ended question relating to the reasons for students' choice of a nursing programme was included in the survey. The transcribed textual data were content analysed for words related to the students' choice.

RESULTS

The students' reasons for entering nursing programmes were both personal and career related, with personal being more dominant. The reasons to start nursing were: being able to help and care for people, job security, the ability to enter tertiary education and the enjoyment or love of nursing.

CONCLUSIONS

Nursing remains a career of choice for young and mature students entering university. It is seen to provide security, interest and opportunity to help and care for others. Universities must focus on this as they develop programmes for a generation where multiple changes of career appear inevitable during their lifetime. The nursing profession needs to look at career pathways after graduation that provide these challenges within nursing itself.

Nursing students' personal qualities: a descriptive study

BACKGROUND

Reports of a lack of compassionate care from nurses have resulted in calls to integrate the assessment of personal qualities into nursing student selection, with the intent to recruit individuals whose attributes reflect those desired in the practising nurse. Whilst nursing programmes are able to determine students' academic abilities on enrolment limited attention has been given to other qualities. Although there is an understanding of the qualities desired in the practising nurse, to date there has been limited exploration of nursing students' personal qualities as they enter nursing programmes and whether these change over time.

AIMS

To describe the personal qualities of newly enrolled Bachelor of Nursing students, and to determine if these qualities are age and gender specific and whether they change over time.

METHODS

The Personal Qualities Assessment (PQA; www.pqa.net.au) was completed by 138 nursing students on enrolment and repeated after three years.

RESULTS

Twenty four percent of students had PQA scores at the extreme ends (±2 SD) of the continuum of one or more sub-scale distributions. Significant positive correlations were found between age and the PQA measured traits: self-control, resilience, narcissism, empathy and moral orientation. Females were significantly more conscientious, community orientated and involved; males had significantly higher narcissism and aloofness scores and lower empathy. For those students (n=28) who completed the follow-up PQA, their personal qualities scores did not change.

CONCLUSION

Most of the study sample possessed mid-range personal quality trait scores, but approximately a quarter of the nursing students recorded extreme scores. Older students were found to have a higher measure of self-control, resilience, empathy and narcissism and more communitarian in attitude. Significant differences were found between males' and females' scores. That personal qualities were unchanged after three years suggests the importance of incorporating the assessment of these qualities into selection and recruitment of nursing students.

The influence of personal qualities on performance and progression in a pre-registration nursing programme

BACKGROUND

Research conducted primarily with psychology and medical students has highlighted that personal qualities play an important role in students' academic performance. In nursing there has been limited investigation of the relationship between personal qualities and performance. Yet, reports of student incivility and a lack of compassion have prompted appeals to integrate the assessment of personal qualities into pre-registration nursing student selection. Before this can be done research is needed to explore the influence of students' personal qualities on programme performance and progression.

AIM

This study explores the relationships between students' personal qualities and their academic and clinical performance, behaviours and progression through a pre-registration nursing programme in Australia.

METHOD

This longitudinal descriptive correlational study was undertaken with a sample of Australian pre-registration nursing students (n=138). Students' personal qualities were assessed using three personal qualities assessment (PQA) instruments. Outcome measures included grades in nursing theory and clinical courses, yearly grade point average, final clinical competency, progression (completion), class attendance and levels of life event stress.

RESULTS

Significant correlations were found between academic performance and PQA scores for self-control, resilience and traits of aloofness, confidence and involvement. Final clinical competence was predicted by confidence and self-control scores. Students with higher empathy had higher levels of life event stress in their first year and class attendance had a positive correlation with self-control. Completing the programme in three years was weakly predicted by the measure of resilience. No difference was noted between extreme or non-extreme scorers on the PQA scales with respect to performance or progression.

CONCLUSION

This sample of students' personal qualities was found to influence their academic and clinical performance and their ability to complete a pre-registration programme in three years. However, further research is required with larger cohorts to confirm the use of personal qualities assessment during selection.

Professional identity in medical students: pedagogical challenges to medical education

BACKGROUND

Professional identity, or how a doctor thinks of himself or herself as a doctor, is considered to be as critical to medical education as the acquisition of skills and knowledge relevant to patient care.

SUMMARY

This article examines contemporary literature on the development of professional identity within medicine. Relevant theories of identity construction are explored and their application to medical education and pedagogical approaches to enhancing students' professional identity are proposed. The influence of communities of practice, role models, and narrative reflection within curricula are examined.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical education needs to be responsive to changes in professional identity being generated from factors within medical student experiences and within contemporary society.