| The purpose of this study was to describe the attitudes toward professional nursing behaviors held by registered nurse students upon entrance and upon completion of a baccalaureate program in nursing.;Data were collected by means of a two-part questionnaire, the first section consisting of a series of items on personal data, prior nursing education, prior and current nursing practice, nursing association membership, and family members in health care. The second part of the questionnaire was a Likert-type summated scale designed to determine attitudes toward professional behaviors. This section consisted of a series of statements on professional nursing behaviors for which students were asked to select a response of strongly agree, agree, undecided, disagree or strongly disagree.;Participants in the study were 368 registered nurse students, enrolled in 12 National League for Nursing accredited baccalaureate programs in metropolitan New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. One hundred ninety-seven of these were in the first semester and 171 in the final semester of enrollment.;Data were analyzed by computer using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences as the program. Frequency scores were obtained for each of the personal data and attitude items. Means for each item and individual attitude scores were calculated for entering and senior students. Means, medians, and standard deviations of scores for each group were calculated and compared, using the t-test for significance of the difference between means. Chi square analysis was employed to determine the relationship of personal data to attitude scores.;The concepts of attitude change and professionalism in nursing provided the framework for data analysis, which indicated that senior registered nurse students had significantly more positive attitudes toward nursing behaviors than entering registered nurse students. However, senior students viewed all nurses as leaders in nursing care and saw no difference in the practice of nurses with different educational backgrounds. They also indicated very strong belief in the professional nurse as a provider of direct patient care and expressed unfavorable attitudes toward the professional nursing behaviors of managing a case load of clients by writing nursing orders, delegating tasks, and directing and evaluating the nursing care of others. Participation in professional organizations and nursing research were not viewed as favorably as expected.;Factors found to be significantly related to attitude scores were semester in program, type of prior nursing education for entering students and school attended, nursing organization membership, and plans for graduate education for seniors.;This study provides further evidence of the influence of the educational program on the attitudes of students. The baccalaureate nursing program is expected to provide a climate which fosters the development of positive attitudes toward professional nursing behaviors. Further study is indicated to determine the most effective means to promote the development of professional attitudes among registered nurse baccalaureate students. |
