Comparison of attitudes about professional ethics among freshman and senior nursing students in Hazrat Fatemeh Nursing and Midwifery School (2012-2013)

Professional behavior is a base in nursing performance since hospitals basically need nurses acquiring high levels of ethics and professional responsibility. We have, therefore, studied the viewpoints of two groups of students in this respect. This cross-sectional analytical study was performed on 60 freshman and 60 senior students in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences Nursing School. The cases were selected randomly. Data were collected using a questionnaire which assessed the general level, patient rights, and endeavor for professional development. Frequency, mean value, and t-test were used for data analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS 17.0 (P≤0.05). 79 students (65.8%) were female and 41 (32.4%) were male. The mean age was 21±1.7. There was no significant difference between the viewpoints of both groups in terms of professional behavior in general level (p=0.65), patient rights (p=0.07), and professional development (p=0.43). The results suggest that there are no significant changes in professional attitudes following graduation. Thus, it can be concluded that considering a course titled ‘professional behavior’ in university curriculum can upgrade nursing qualities.