Empathic tendencies and professional values in nursing students and their determinants

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Empathic tendency and professional values should be gained during professional education and developed through professional practices. The study was aimed at determining the empathic tendency and professional values scores and related factors in nursing students.

METHODS: The study was cross-sectional. The study population comprised Faculty of Health Sciences. The study data were collected from 364 nursing students who were at nursing department when the study was conducted and accepted to participate in the study. The study data were collected using the Sociodemographic Characteristics Questionnaire, Empathic Tendency Scale and Nursing Professional Values Scale.

RESULTS: The mean score the students obtained from the Nursing Professional Values Scale and Empathic Tendency Scale were 100.12 +/- 6.49 and 76.13 +/- 7.21, respectively. The variables such as the type of the high school graduated from, and receiving education on ethical values, empathic tendency, social values and human values explained 32% of the professional values variable. Of these variables, receiving education on social values, empathic tendency scale score, and the type of the high school graduated from and receiving education on human values predicted the professional values score significantly positively.

CONCLUSIONS: It was found that the nursing students' compliance with professional values was high, that their empathic tendency was above average and that there was a positive relationship between their professional values and empathic tendency.