Introduction
The selected article for this critique is a mixed-methods study, using qualitative methods for data collection and quantitative tools for statistical analysis and categorization. The article’s title is Attributes of a good nurse: The opinions of nursing students, which was written by Er R. Aydin, Mine Sehiralti, and Aslihan Akpinar. The date of publication is 10 August 2015, and the journal’s name is Nursing Ethics. The article was first published online in SagePub in 2015, and the primary purpose of the study is to identify the 1st and 4th-year students’ outlook on attributes of an outstanding nurse (Er, Sehiralti, & Akpinar, 2017). The main goal is to analyze if there is a difference in opinion among participants and how their views could shape the nursing field. The method used to investigate this study is a qualitative approach critique. It seeks to observe the research methodology and interpret the author’s findings in the context of the research questions and conclusions. This study was chosen based on its intriguing subject matter and the mixture of methods that it utilizes. The given article is peer-reviewed, and its credibility is high due to the transparency of the research.
Methods
The primary methodology was surveyed questionnaires, which had both specific and open-ended questions regarding the attributes of a professional nurse. The participants were interned and 1st-year students alongside senior 4th-year ones. The sample size was 120 people in nursing departments who were actively involved in the research (Er et al., 2017). The given method allows other studies to be able to reflect on the article approach because it demonstrates easy and effective ways to conduct a review. The method’s feasibility is due to the simplicity and transparency of the research conductance (Phillips, 2018). It is realistic to apply and validate because the study findings can be effortlessly duplicated, and no inaccessible tools are present. The primary limitation of the method lies in the survey’s tendency to exclude the plausible factors that are not addressed in the questions. The researchers overcame this problem by including open-ended questions, which are important for allowing the participants to express their additional concerns (Catallo, Spalding, & Haghiri-Vijeh, 2014). There are no large limitations, but the minor ones are the small sample size and the specificity of the department. It means that the data of the given study should be used with caution on population-scale topics because 120 participants cannot fully represent the current trends on the subject.
Findings
The results were interpreted through the scale of attributes, such as empathy and patience. The objective findings were fully correlated with the authors’ view of the evidence because the expectations were that senior students would be better at identifying the proper qualities. For example, 1st-year nurses chose calmness and geniality as the most important attributes of nursing professionals, whereas senior students selected honesty and research curiosity as key ones (Er et al., 2017). Therefore, the education system allows them to change their views on the chosen field by understanding the current realities of healthcare.
Discussion
A study’s usefulness and overall academic rigor are determined by its validity and reliability. Validity is established by examining the methodology and whether an appropriate study design was selected. Furthermore, the choice of tools and processes should be considered as well. Reliability is determined by replication of results based on the same processes with some variability tolerated for qualitative research (Leung, 2015). In this critique, reliability is difficult to examine, but studies mentioned later demonstrate similar outcomes. Validity has been established as competent based on the choice of methodology and tools. This suggests this study is generalizable and upholds scientific standards. Bias is possible in all qualitative research, but the authors of the article have declared neither potential interest of conflict nor financial support for conducting the study, as well as stating any limitations. Eliminating bias in qualitative research is possible through peer and participant review of results, different individuals coding data, verifying multiple sources for information, and maintain records.
The research provided new factual information and a new understanding of the education’s importance in the first four years. The given article’s significance lies in allowing the professors to address the attributes of an outstanding nurse. The reported observations and interpretations support other studies in this field (Waddell, Adams, & Fawcett, 2017). Recent articles also point out the relevance of the first four years of nursing education (Bijani, Tehranineshat, & Torabizadeh, 2019). Another study shows that respect plays a key role in nursing education (Stievano et al., 2018). The overall findings of the research made a significant contribution to human knowledge because both students and teachers will be able to address the issue. The practical applications were produced by the article’s methodology because they successfully used open-ended questions. The major implication can be manifested in adjusting the current nursing education system to teach the important attributes of a professional nurse. The research can be considered a significant one because it overviews the effectiveness of nursing departments.
References
Bijani, M., Tehranineshat, B., & Torabizadeh, C. (2019). Nurses’, nursing students’, and nursing instructors’ perceptions of professional values: A comparative study. Nursing Ethics, 26(3), 870-883.
Catallo, C., Spalding, K., & Haghiri-Vijeh, R. (2014). Nursing professional organizations: What are they doing to engage nurses in health policy? SAGE Open, 1(1), 2-6.
Er, R. A., Sehiralti, M., & Akpinar, A. (2017). Attributes of a good nurse: The opinions of nursing students. Nursing Ethics, 24(2), 238-250.
Leung L. (2015). Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(3), 324-327. doi:10.4103/2249-4863.161306
Phillips, J. R. (2018). Nursing Science, Nursing theory: Nurse atheists, nurse agnostics, nurse theists. Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(2), 105-108.
Stievano, A., Bellass, S., Rocco, G., Olsen, D., Sabatino, L., & Johnson, M. (2018). Nursing’s professional respect as experienced by hospital and community nurses. Nursing Ethics, 25(5), 665-683.
Waddell, A., Adams, J. M., & Fawcett, J. (2017). Exploring nurse leaders’ policy participation within the context of a nursing conceptual framework. Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice, 18(4), 195-205.