Perceived Professionalism among Student Nurses: What They Learning and Encountering in the Operating Room?

Abstract

Professionalism, which encompasses competencies, ethics, and societal expectations, is an essential feature of modern medical practice. For nurses, practical education in clinical settings, including the operating room, can foster professionalism by demonstrating the importance of patient safety, ethics, and collaboration. This article reports on a study that investigated nursing students’ learning journey and perceptions of professionalism during an operating room practicum. This qualitative descriptive study, which used Bengtsson (content analysis, analyzed 202 self-reflective reports written by junior students at a nursing college in one city in South Korea between 2021 and 2022. The analysis yielded 50 key meanings and 10 sub-categories and identified the following three categories: “Perceptions of a collaborative operating room care environment,” “Observations on nurses as advocates for surgical patients,” and “Challenges to professionalism and growth as future perioperative nurses.” The results of the study indicate that the operating room practicum offered more than clinical exposure; it also fostered professional growth and shaped ethical values. On the basis of these findings we suggest that practical education in the operating should be integrated with ethics education to enhance skills, cultivate professional awareness, and promote professionalism in nursing.