The COVID-19 pandemic has caused difficulties in the organization of clinical classes for nursing students. It is therefore important to explore students’ experiences related to participation in clinical classes during the pandemic and to draw conclusions that will allow for the introduction of innovations enabling the development of the required professional competencies as part of training during current and future pandemic restrictions. In this study, we aimed to explore the experiences of nursing students related to clinical education during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify practical implications for this education in the future. A qualitative study was performed based on individual interviews among Polish nursing students (n = 20). The study is reported using the COREQ checklist. Content analysis was applied, and five main categories were identified, including ‘the key role of clinical mentor’, ‘theory-practice gap’, ‘ambivalent emotions and ethical challenges’, ‘to be part of the team’, and ‘strengthened professional identity’. The results of our research indicate that higher education institutions should implement clear strategies to support students, both in terms of psychological support and compensation of professional skills, the development of which might be limited during the pandemic. Modern technologies, including medical simulations, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and telemedicine should be used in the practical teaching of nursing students to educate them on how to cope with difficult, new situations, build decision-making skills, and solve problems.

The aim of this study was to map and summarize the published research findings on hospital ethical climate and its relationship with nursing staff job satisfaction as well as strategies proposed in the literature for the improvement of hospital ethical climate and job satisfaction through the actions of nursing staff in leadership positions. A scoping review has been performed in accordance with the guidelines of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis extension scoping reviews statement (PRISMA-ScR). Three electronic bibliographic databases were searched: the SCOPUS, Medline, and CINHAL Complete using a combination of keywords with the range of years 1994–2021. A total of 15 papers out of 235 records identified were eligible for the analysis. The literature review confirmed a significant relationship between ethical climate and job satisfaction of nurses. Furthermore, the interdependence of ethical climate and job satisfaction of nursing staff affects many different aspects including patients, co-workers, an organization and research. Identifying factors that influence ethical climate and job satisfaction as well as the relationship between these variables may help to reduce the dropout concerning a change of profession among nursing staff.

The ethical climate reflects the principles and guidelines of an organisation. A positive ethical climate is characterised by a common vision of caring for work, in which the therapeutic team members inform and support each other, and which meets the needs of patients and their families. The aim of this study was to analyse nursing research on the hospital's ethical climate conducted with the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey (HECS) and to analyse factors which correlate and are related to nurses' work. A critical review of the literature from 1995 to 2021 was conducted with the following keywords: ethical climate, hospital ethical climate survey, HECS, and nurses. The hospital ethical climate correlates with nurses' moral sensitivity/courage/distress, job satisfaction, job burnout, and ethical leadership. This makes it possible to monitor and assess elements of the organisation climate and how they influence nurses' professional performance. This in turn helps nursing managers to develop strategies to promote better working conditions for nurses, improve job satisfaction, and prevent intent to change their workplace. StreszczenieKlimat etyczny odzwierciedla zasady i wytyczne organizacji. Pozytywny klimat etyczny charakteryzuje się wspólną wizją troski o pracę, w której zespół terapeutyczny wzajemnie się informuje i wspiera, odpowiada na potrzeby pacjentów i ich rodzin. Celem pracy była analiza badań pielęgniarskich dotyczących klimatu etycznego w szpitalu z zastosowaniem narzędzia badawczego Hospital Ethical Climate Survey (HECS), a także korelujących z nim czynników związanych z pracą pielęgniarek. Krytyczny przegląd dostępnego piśmiennictwa od 1995 do 2021 roku przeprowadzono według następujących słów kluczowych: klimat etyczny, badanie klimatu etycznego szpitala, HECS, pielęgniarki. Klimat etyczny szpitala koreluje m.in. z wrażliwością, odwagą, cierpieniem moralnym, satysfakcją z pracy, wypaleniem zawodowym, przywództwem etycznym. Umożliwia monitorowanie i ocenę elementów klimatu organizacyjnego oraz ich wpływu na wyniki zawodowe pielęgniarki. To natomiast daje menadżerom pielęgniarstwa narzędzia pozwalające na wdrożenie strategii promujących lepsze warunki pracy pielęgniarek, satysfakcję z pracy oraz zapobiega chęci odejścia z zawodu.

Background: The hospital ethical climate affects the quality of nursing care. A positive ethical climate is likely to reduce the proportion of those who consider leaving the profession, so it is necessary to develop tools which will enable assessment and analysis of the hospital ethical climate. The aim of this study was to examine selected psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey, assess the hospital ethical climate perceived by nurses and midwives from Polish hospitals, and to determine its correlations with job-related variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study among 558 nurses and midwives working in hospitals in Poland. Results: The 21-item model showed acceptable model fitness between the hypothetical model of ethical climate and the data in the study. Five items with low factor loadings were removed from the study. The internal consistency was satisfactory (0.93). The mean score for the overall hospital ethical climate was 3.62. The highest mean score of hospital ethical climate in the present study was found in the ”peers” subscale and the lowest in the ”physicians” subscale. A positive correlation was found between overall hospital ethical climate and respondents’ satisfaction with work, salary, and working time. The hospital ethical climate was associated with problems found in nurses and midwives’ work, such as: limited time for direct face-to-face care, the lack of equipment and resources to provide high-quality health care, strained relations with hospital managers and other health care professionals, limitations to one’s own competences or those of other medical professionals, moral dilemmas related to patient care, the low prestige of nurses’/midwives‘ work, physical and mental burden, and the risk of making a mistake. Conclusion: The Polish 21-item version of the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey is a reliable tool. Correlations revealed that relationships with managers and physicians, and working conditions should be improved in order for the hospital ethical climate to improve.

Caring ability and professional values developed and shaped during nursing university studies are often recognised as fundamental components of education and professional nursing attitudes. The aim of this study was to analyse the relationship between caring ability and professional values among nursing students and their correlation with selected sociodemographic variables. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a convenience sample of 379 nursing students. During the research, the Polish versions of the Caring Ability Inventory and the Professional Values Scale were used. The overall result in the Professional Values Scale was 108.78 (SD = 16.17)—which is considered average, and in the Caring Ability Inventory 189.55 (SD = 18.77)—which is considered low. Age correlated negatively with the professional values of students in total and in the subscale “care”; in contrast, “gender,” “place of residence” and “financial situation” did not show any correlation with the level of students’ professional values and caring ability. The professional values and caring abilities of nursing students depended on the year and mode of study and the type of university. The results of the study revealed that the caring ability and professional values of nursing students undergo changes during their education.