Mahrokh Keshvari, Negar Farajzadeh, Mohsen Shahriari, Mohammad Azadmanesh, Aliasghar Jamalinasab,
Volume 17, Issue 0 (Supplement of 11th Annual Iranian Congress of Medical Ethics 2024)
Abstract
Nursing and midwifery professors play a crucial role in transmitting societal norms, providing cultural experiences, shaping students' behavior, beliefs, and attitudes, and cultivating moral virtues. As significant influencers on students' moral development during their academic journey, careful attention to this aspect is essential. This study aimed to elucidate the ethical challenges encountered by faculty members within the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery. This qualitative study employed content analysis. Purposive sampling was utilized to select 23 faculty members from the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, with data collection spanning eight months. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis. Continuous and comparative data analysis revealed three primary categories of ethical challenges perceived by faculty members: discrimination and injustice, low professional commitment, and unprofessional behavior.
· Discrimination and injustice: This category encompassed three subcategories: disparities in rule implementation across faculties and groups, unfair financial compensation, and inequitable distribution of academic units and points.
· Low professional commitment: This category included two subcategories: educational underselling and non-adherence to established rules by faculty members.
· Unprofessional behavior: This category comprised two subcategories: unhealthy competition among faculty members and inappropriate student evaluations.
The experiences of faculty members in this study highlighted the presence of numerous challenges, with ethical issues significantly impacting their performance and motivation. The identified ethical challenges primarily revolved around discrimination and injustice, low professional commitment, and unprofessional behavior. Given the pivotal role of faculty members in teaching ethical principles and actively addressing ethical challenges, it is imperative for administrators and officials to acknowledge these concerns and implement strategies to mitigate these issues.
Mandana Arash, Nadergholi Ghourchian, Parivash Jafari, Akhtar Jamali ,
Volume 17, Issue 0 (Supplement of 11th Annual Iranian Congress of Medical Ethics 2024)
Abstract
Professional commitment is a key indicator of success in the nursing profession. Nursing schools play a critical role in fostering this commitment by instilling the values and responsibilities associated with the profession. Developing a culture of commitment and integrating it as a societal value is essential for cultivating professional behavior in students. This study aimed to identify strategies for enhancing and developing socio-cultural factors that influence professional commitment among nursing students. This applied research employed a qualitative approach. Twenty professional experts were selected through purposive sampling in 2021. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, guided by the principle of theoretical saturation, and analyzed using content analysis. Six major components were identified as influential strategies: 1. Participation of communication media in the cultural and scientific advancement of the profession; 2. Attention to cultural differences between universities and healthcare centers; 3. Promotion of a culture of commitment in universities and clinical settings; 4. Attention to the alignment between individual culture and professional culture; 5. Attention to ensuring the profession benefits from social support; 6. Attention to the promotion of a culture of work and effort in society. These components were reflected in 20 specific indicators, including: raising awareness, instilling a sense of need, fostering concern among academic communities, educating nurses, resolving cultural conflicts, creating conducive educational environments, employing committed faculty, embedding commitment in the culture and as a duty, aligning individual and professional cultures, promoting social prestige and recognition of the profession, addressing local cultural aspects and gender roles, and enhancing flexibility and participation in social interactions.
The development of professional commitment in nursing students can be significantly enhanced through the promotion of ethical and professional principles and the establishment of a supportive socio-cultural environment. Embedding professional commitment within cultural frameworks contributes to students’ sense of responsibility and its sustainability in professional practice.
