Ethical Crossroads in Nursing Education

Ethical Crossroads in Nursing Education: Mapping the Terrain of Ethical Sensitivity and Professional Identity Among Nursing Students

In conclusion, understanding the variables influencing ethical decision-making among nursing students is crucial for developing interventions to minimize moral distress and promoting their ability to cope with ethical issues and dilemmas. While acknowledging the existence of ethical challenges, it is noteworthy that there is a dearth of studies investigating the intricate relationship between ethical sensitivity and the development of professional identity among nursing students. This research aims to fill this gap, advancing our understanding and providing valuable insights for shaping effective educational practices. In this improvement, the research problem is clearly stated: the need to explore the relationship between ethical sensitivity and professional identity among nursing students, with a call for further research to bridge the existing gap.

In light of the identified research gap regarding the correlation between ethical sensitivity and the development of professional identity among nursing students, this study seeks to answer the following question: How does ethical sensitivity influence the formation of professional identity in nursing students within the context of contemporary healthcare environments, characterized by evolving technology and complex health systems?

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Ethics, Narrative; Professional Identity Formation
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: No intervention

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 224

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Egypt
  • Dakhlyia
    • Mansoura, Dakhlyia, Egypt, 35511
      • Faculty of Nursing

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Nursing students from all levels

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

- Participants will be recruited from diverse online communities, including platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram. The decision to utilize these social media channels is based on their extensive usage within the target population, ensuring effective outreach and active participation. The undergraduate nursing students at the college are expected to establish dedicated social media groups for each academic level.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Students not from nursing background education

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire	This version was modified by Comrie (2012) to measure the moral sensitivity of student nurses (MMSQSN). According to Comrie, determining the level of ethical sensitivity of student nurses can identify what nursing education programs should do to develop ethical sensitivity. Comrie studied the validity and reliability of the MMSQSN using 250 undergraduate and postgraduate student nurses at a midwestern university. Cronbach's alpha was .64. The MMSQSN is a 7-point Likert type scale that includes 30 items. Statements in the scale are assigned a score between 1 (I completely disagree) and 7 (I completely agree).	through study completion, an average of 6 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Professional Identity Questionnaire	This instrument contains 17 items loading on 5 sub-dimensions: professional self-image (6 items), retention benefit and risk of turnover (4 items), social comparison and self-reflection (3 items), career choice independence (2 items) and social modelling (2 items). Items are assessed on a five-point Likert scale ('complete conformity' = 5, 'conformity' = 4, 'neutral' = 3, 'inconformity' = 2, and 'complete inconformity' = 1). The total scores range from 17 to 85, with higher scores indicating a stronger professional identity	through study completion, an average of 6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Mansoura University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 10, 2024
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 3, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 3, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): February 12, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 12, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 3, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: ETHICAL12345

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No