Timmins, Fiona and King, Carole and de Vries, Jean and Johnson, Martin and Cullen, John G. and Haigh, Carol
(2018)
Altruism, honesty and religiosity in nursing students.
Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27 (19-20).
pp. 3687-3698.
ISSN 0962-1067
Abstract
Aims and objectives: To identify, at different stages of nursing education, the
extent to which nursing students appreciate altruism, honesty, religiosity and other,
sometimes contrasting, values in practice.
Background: Nursing is informed by values that guide care ethos and activities.
Embodiment of these core values has become a matter of concern. Reports outlining
deficiencies in health care followed by polemics in nursing journals have called
into question whether nursing students are sufficiently motivated by values and
educated in their application. This study explores these values among undergraduate
nursing students in the Republic of Ireland. Considering the strong religious tradition
in health care in Ireland, religiosity was also included.
Design: A link to an online survey was distributed via email to all nursing students
in the thirteen Schools of Nursing in the Republic of Ireland.
Method: Quantitative data were collected using an adaptation of the Salford-
Scott (Journal of Advanced Nursing, 57(8), 2007, 366) Nursing Values Questionnaire.
Results: Participants (n = 158) reported positively to statements related to honesty
and altruism. Both altruism and religiosity received support, but the latter was to a
lesser extent. Students considered their professionalism more important than altruism,
and honesty varied according to the situation.
Conclusions: This study adds new information by confirming that students exhibit
support for two of the most essential values in nursing: altruism and honesty. The
adapted Salford-Scott instrument has shown reliability and promise in further empirical
study in nursing.
Relevance to clinical practice: Priority given to professionalism over altruism
reflects concerns highlighted in the international literature around overly taskoriented
care in which compassion gets lost. Also, when loyalty supersedes honesty,
problems with accountability in health care may emerge. Uncertainty around religiosity
in health care may reflect limitations in competence in nurses to relate to
patients with religions or spirituality other than their own.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
altruism; honesty; nurse; nursing student; religion; Salford-Scott Nursing Values Questionnaire;
spirituality; values; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Business |
| Item ID: |
11237 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.14374 |
| Depositing User: |
Dr. John G. Cullen
|
| Date Deposited: |
14 Oct 2019 13:34 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Journal of Clinical Nursing |
| Publisher: |
Wiley |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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