It is imperative to understand the factors that influence clinical competency. Consequently, it is essential to study those that have an impact on the process of attaining clinical competency. A grounded theory approach was adopted for this study. Professional competency empowers nurses and enables them to fulfill their duties effectively. Internal and external factors were identified as affecting clinical competency. A total of 36 clinical nurses, nurse educators, hospital managers and members of the Nursing Council in Tehran participated in this (...) research. Data were obtained by semistructured interviews. Personal factors and useful work experience were considered to be significant, based on knowledge and skills, ethical conduct, professional commitment, self-respect and respect for others, as well as from effective relationships, interest, responsibility and accountability. Effective management, education systems and technology were named as influential environmental factors. Personal and environmental factors affect clinical competency. Ethical persons are responsible and committed to their work, acquiring relevant work experience. A suitable work environment that is structured and ordered also encourages an ethical approach by nurses. (shrink)

This longitudinal study examined the development of moral judgement in 37 nursing students attending a university in Suwon, Korea. The participants completed the Korean version of the Defining Issues Test to allow analysis of their level of moral judgement. The development of moral judgement was quantified using ‘the moral development score’ at each stage (i.e. the six stages detailed by Kohlberg) and the ‘P(%) score’ (a measure of the overall moral judgement level). The results were as follows: (1) the moral (...) development score for stage 5A was consistently the highest across the four years of the students’ course, showing significant differences in some sociodemographic factors including home, birth order and monthly income; and (2) the P(%) score was higher in fourth-year (47.47 ± 11.21) than in first-year (46.13±9.73) students. There was no significant difference in the P(%) score according to sociodemographic factors. Further studies will examine in detail the correlation between curriculum and moral judgement development. We suggest that courses in ethics education should be made more relevant. (shrink)

This study described the relationships between academic class and student moral sensitivity and reasoning and between curriculum design components for ethics education and student moral sensitivity and reasoning. The data were collected from freshman (n = 506) and senior students (n = 440) in eight baccalaureate nursing programs in South Korea by survey; the survey consisted of the Korean Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire and the Korean Defining Issues Test. The results showed that moral sensitivity scores in patient-oriented care and conflict were (...) higher in senior students than in freshman students. Furthermore, more hours of ethics content were associated with higher principled thinking scores of senior students. Nursing education in South Korea may have an impact on developing student moral sensitivity. Planned ethics content in nursing curricula is necessary to improve moral sensitivity and moral reasoning of students. (shrink)