Nurse Role Conceptions of Beginning Students, Graduating Students and Faculty in a Baccalaureate Nursing Program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine ideal and actual nurse role concept ions and role discrepancies of beginning students, graduating students and faculty in a baccalaureate nursing program. Procedure. Twenty four beginning students, nineteen graduating students and fifteen faculty at two private baccalaureate nursing programs completed Pieta's 1976 tool, "Nursing Role Conceptions", measuring bureaucratic, professional and service role conceptions. Student subjects also completed a demographic data questionnaire designed by the researcher. Findings: Significant differences existed between: the bureaucratic ideal and actual, professional ideal and actual and service ideal nurse role conception scores of beginning and graduating nursing students; the bureaucratic role discrepancy scores of beginning nursing students and nursing faculty; the bureaucratic role discrepancy scores of graduating nurslng students and nurslng faculty; the professional role discrepancy scores of beginning nursing students and graduating nursing students; the professional role discrepancy scores of beginning nursing students and nursing faculty; the service role discrepancy scores of beginning nursing students and graduating nursing students and the professional ideal role score of nursing faculty and beginning nursing students. Conclusions: Socialization into a professional role orientation appeared to be occurring at these baccalaureate nursing programs. Students' nurse role conceptions changed as they progressed through their education. Recommendations: Examples of recommendations for further research include: (1)replicating this study using a larger and more heterogeneous sample and (2) carrying out a longitudinal study measuring one group of subjects at various points in their educational process.