Health, Spirituality and Medical Ethics (Aug 2023)
Ethical Sensitivity and Moral Self-concept of Nursing Students During Internship: Factors and Assessment
Abstract
Background and Objectives: Ethical sensitivity prevents moral dilemmas; moral self-concept develops via adaptation to others’ expectations. Nursing education provides an opportunity to internalize ethical sensitivity and improve moral self-concept because nurses are often faced with serious situations that require higher ethical knowledge. Therefore, we assessed sensitivity and moral self-concept in nursing students and related factors. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was designed for one group to investigate the degree of students’ moral self-concept and ethical sensitivity in an internship program (12 months) and their related factors. Thirty-nine undergraduate nursing students were selected by census sampling method. The inclusion criteria included senior bachelor’s degree students and their desire to participate in the study. Lutzen’s ethical sensitivity questionnaire (25 items) and Lutzen’s moral self-concept questionnaire (18 items) were used. Data were analyzed by SPSS software, version 22 using described by number, percentage, Mean±SD and assessed by the paired t-test. Results: The majority of the participants (74.4%) were women (76.9%) and single, (48.7%) aged 23 years, and (76.9%) reported participation in the ethics workshops. The mean score of students’ ethical sensitivity before the internship was at a medium level (109.64±9.51), which improved to a higher level (115.56±8.88) after the internship. There was a significant difference between the mean score of ethical sensitivity before and after the internship (P<0.001). This difference was not significant for the mean score of moral self-concept. The correlation of study variables with gender, marital status, and age was not significant, while there was a significant difference regarding participation in the workshop (P<0.02). Conclusion: Ethical sensitivity was influenced by participating in ethics workshops; thus, continuous training can be effective to improve it. It can enhance ethical sensitivity and reduce the risk of unethical behavior among nurses in the future.
