Entry and Exit Characteristics of Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Abstract

The nursing profession endeavours to portray an image of the nurse that embodies autonomy, intelligent problem solving, and leadership in health care (Davenport, 1980; Partridge, 1978; Welch, 1980). Traditionally the nurse has been perceived as nurturing, subservient, and serving (Kaler, Levy, & Schall, 1989; Newton, 1981). As recently as 1989, Kaler et al. reported that the public image of the nurse continues to focus on the traditional feminine characteristics of helping others and demonstrating warmth and concern for others. Consistent with the media image of nurses, the public perceives nurses to be less intelligent, less independent, and less likely to value achievement than are physicians (Kalish & Kalish, 1986). It is therefore, reasonable to expect that the public image plays a major role in determining who enters the profession. To achieve nursing education goals student characteristics should be taken into consideration during the planning and implementation of the curriculum. If a nursing program aims to prepare nurses who are independent, visionary leaders, then it is important to determine if the students entering the program have an interest in being change agents and have characteristics of autonomy and dominance. If they do not have these characteristics, then a system of challenges and rewards for such behaviour must be built into the curriculum as an integral part of the professionalization process.