title: Images of a 'good nurse' presented by teaching staff.
abstract: Nursing is at the same time a vocation, a profession and a job. By nature, nursing is a moral endeavor, and being a 'good nurse' is an issue and an aspiration for professionals. The aim of our qualitative research project carried out with 18 nurse teachers at a university nursing school in Brazil was to identify the ethical image of nursing. In semistructured interviews the participants were asked to choose one of several pictures, to justify their choice and explain what they meant by an ethical nurse. Five different perspectives were revealed: good nurses fulfill their duties correctly; they are proactive patient advocates; they are prepared and available to welcome others as persons; they are talented, competent, and carry out professional duties excellently; and they combine authority with power sharing in patient care. The results point to a transition phase from a historical introjection of religious values of obedience and service to a new sense of a secular, proactive, scientific and professional identity.
authors.affiliation: University of São Paulo, Brazil. natsartorio@gmail.com
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: de Araujo Sartorio
authors.forename: Elma Lourdes Campos
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Pavone Zoboli
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001938:Brazil; D002605:Character; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D005181:Faculty, Nursing; D006801:Humans; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010344:Patient Advocacy / Q000941:ethics; D010687:Philosophy, Nursing; D011209:Power, Psychological; D011361:Professional Competence; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012938:Social Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D028722:Virtues