Journal of professional nursing : official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing
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The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to (1) examine differences in baccalaureate nursing students' attitudes toward persons living with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) (PLWAs) according to mode of transmission and (2) identify demographic and academic variables influencing baccalaureate nursing students' attitudes toward PLWAs. Two hundred forty-six students from five geographically dispersed baccalaureate programs returned a completed demographic data sheet, AIDS Knowledge Scale, and AIDS Attitude Scale. ⋯ Perhaps the PLWA who contracted AIDS through either maternal transmission or a blood transfusion was viewed as an "innocent victim" of the disease, whereas PLWAs who contracted the virus through either shared needles or sexual transmission were viewed as having acquired the infection through the results of their actions. The demographic characteristics of the respondents did not influence AIDS attitudes.
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Per the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1991, hospitals are required to ascertain whether patients have an advance directive (AD). At this point, factors prompting patients to issue ADs have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to describe patients' understanding of ADs as well as the process patients used to arrive at their decisions to implement an AD. ⋯ Response analysis showed four phases of AD decision making: evaluation of illness, establishment of priorities, consideration of implications of the directives, and selection or rejection of directives. In conclusion, patients continue to have limited understanding of ADs and their implications. Continued investigation will elucidate the best strategies to educate patients about this topic.
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Nurse researchers conducting qualitative studies need to be acutely aware of the unique ways ethics, both nursing and research ethics, affect all phases of the qualitative research process. Decisions about what to study, which persons will be asked to participate, what methodology will be used, how to achieve truly informed consent, when to terminate or interrupt interviews, when to probe deeply, when therapy or nursing care supersedes research, and what and how case studies should be documented in the published results are all matters for ethical deliberation. This article seeks to examine some of the less obvious, yet very important, ethical concerns that nurses face throughout the research process and build a common core of values that can lead to meaningful process and socially responsible research results.
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Comparative Study
The impact of personal and situational variables on career patterns among nurses from three types of educational programs.
Relationships between educational preparation and employment choices were investigated in a study of the career paths of nursing graduates from three types of educational programs: a community college diploma program, a generic baccalaureate program, and a postdiploma baccalaureate program. Selected personal and work-related correlates of career paths for the three groups also were explored. ⋯ Data were collected concerning demographic variables, employment details, ongoing professional development, and level of satisfaction with nursing. Analysis of the data demonstrated clear variations in the career paths of the three groups of graduates, supporting the belief that the type of educational program does indeed have a steering effect on the subsequent career choices of these nurses.