Nurses’ Practice Experiences in Moral Contexts – A Narrative Inquiry
Date
2015-02-06
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Abstract
The aim of this research study was to generate knowledge about how registered nurses experience the moral dimensions of their practice. Narrative inquiry was used to explore the lived and told stories of how nurses navigate moral tensions and conflicts in order to continue practicing within the profession. It is important to understand how nurses adapt, cope, and gain resilience because complex healthcare situations sometimes have outcomes that are morally unacceptable to nurses, leaving them distressed and causing them to leave the places in which they practice, or leave the profession altogether. This study is a narrative inquiry, using the approach advocated by Connelly and Clandinin (1990) and Clandinin and Connelly (2000). Proceeding from the position that people compose themselves through stories, lived and told, this research examined the stories of five registered nurses practicing in public health. Participants in this study shared their accounts of overcoming moral conflicts in practice. By attending to Clandinin and Connelly’s (2000) metaphorical three-dimensional narrative inquiry space, the subtleties of particular places, the social contexts of nurses’ relationships with others, and the temporally situated aspects of ethics in practice were revealed. This research concludes with recommendations for workplace changes, education, and ongoing professional development for nurses to transition across ethical practice situations while fostering their professional integrity.
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Health Care Management, Nursing, Public Health
Citation
Hubbauer, K. (2015). Nurses’ Practice Experiences in Moral Contexts – A Narrative Inquiry (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/27150