Nursing model

Nursing Model

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to determine how nurses working in different professional capacities viewed themselves as role models. The data gathered was through focus groups and interviews. Data analysis was done based on certain motives. Nurses described themselves as role models of health by given their understanding of the topic, their views on what society expected from them, and their professional and personal backgrounds. Their rationale was that society wanted them to be role models that provided information and practiced what their work was all about. Giving value to health, accepting defects and reflecting on self were the personal factors of the nurses. Achieving trust, caring and associating were the professional factors.

Research Design

The researcher used a phenomenological research design and methodology to carry out the study. Phenomenology is a method that produces results through personal accounts of respondents. (Conklin, 2007, p. 276). The study wanted to find the nurses view about themselves and how they perceived nurses to promote health. This allowed the researchers to have a variety in their sample and carryout the semi structured in-depth interviews. The researcher question was how the nurses defined and described themselves and other nurses as role models for the promotion of health.

Sampling

Sampling technique used was maximum-variation in order to obtain a wide range of views from the nurses. The sample consisted of registered nurses that were working in different professional designations in Eastern Canada. Nurse teachers and nurses working in community health clinics and conventional institutes such as rehabilitation centers, public sector regions and government hospitals. Two focus group discussions and four individual interviews were taken.

The focus group consisted of (i) nurse teachers that were involved in the professional association of the nursing students who could be foreseen as future role models to promote healthy activities. (ii) Nurses working in health clinics who were currently engaged in teaching of health and its promotion. The nurse teachers were selected from one of the nursing schools of the province's major university. The teachers had a varied background in terms of age, experience and expertise.

They were contacted through e-mail. The nurses working in the community clinic were invited through a clinical nurse specialist who served as a monitor for this group. The Clinical nurse specialisy sent an informational letter to this group and asked them to reply by phone or e-mail in order to register themselves.

The sample for the direct interview was randomly selected from different yet directly involved nurses in the process of health promotion. A total of fifteen nurses participated with eleven being in the focus groups and four in the individual interviews. All of them had at least two years of experience in the health care sector.

Ethical Considerations

The permission to carry out this study was obtained from a university institutional review board. The confidentiality of the recorded interviews was maintained as the tapes were kept safe at a place which was only approachable by the lead researcher. Only one of the researchers was allowed ...