Defense Date

7-27-2012

Graduation Date

Fall 2012

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Nursing

School

School of Nursing

Committee Chair

Gladys Husted

Committee Member

Lynn Simko

Committee Member

Carrie Scotto

Keywords

Advanced practice nurse, Decision making, Symphonology

Abstract

Problem: The literature revealed two major gaps; the first gap is the lack of current knowledge about ethical decision-making abilities of the advanced level nurse. A second gap is the need to investigate specific models and theories to support the profession of nursing in making ethical decisions.

Purpose: The purpose was to explore the following research questions: What is the effect of a Symphonology-based educational intervention on the ethical decision-making performance of advanced level nursing students, as measured by the JAND? What is the effect of a Symphonology-based educational intervention on the ethical decision-making performance of advanced level nursing students, as measured by the JAND with and without the scenarios? What do the advanced level nursing students express about the guidance given by the application of Symphonology in dealing with ethics and ethical decision-making in day to day practice? And, what do the advanced level nursing students express about the guidance given by the application of other theories in dealing with ethics and ethical decision-making in practice?

Methods: The research design for this study was both a quantitative approach, in the form of a quasi-experimental one group pretest-posttest design, and a qualitative approach, in the form of an online focus group.

Results: This study has generated new information on the ethical decision making performance of advanced practice nursing students that may provide insight for the profession. It has identified that while the impact of the theory of Symphonology did not produce statistically significant outcomes, it did identify that participants had varying perspectives on ethical decision making after learning about the theory of Symphonology. Finally, this study identified consistent qualitative feedback regarding the value of the theory of Symphonology during the data collection process. Implications: This study has identified that advanced practice nursing students are entering into their graduate studies with varying competencies in ethical decision making. It identified that participants had varying perspectives on ethical decision making after learning about the theory of Symphonology. Continued efforts must be made to explore the impact of the Symphonological approach on nursing practice and its implications on the nurse patient relationship.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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