This study examines the relationship between nursing faculty role models and students in Predominately Black Colleges (PBCs) and students' expectations for professional practice, including choices to work in health care underserved urban communities. The following questions guided this research: (1) Does the interaction between students and their role models influence students' expectations for professional practice; (2) Do role models' involvement with lower income patients in urban settings influence students' preferences to work or not to work in such settings; and (3) Do recent graduates accept employment in the settings they preferred as students?;A 35 item questionnaire derived, in part, from Albert Bandura's theory of role modeling and a 10 item mail questionnaire designed to assess work setting choice was developed. In the first phase of the study, the data were collected through group administration from 214 generic senior nursing students in 15 of the 17 nursing programs at PBCs during April and May of 1982. During the second phase in October, 1982 respondents from phase one were mailed work setting choice surveys. This resulted in a response rate of 80% (172 useable questionnaires).;Data were factor analyzed resulting in four factors characterizing student role model interaction (interpersonal/instructional, functional, personal, and interpersonal/informal-individual) and three factors describing students' professional practice expectations (nursing process, nursing research, and projected professional activities). The two sets of factors were correlated resulting in functional characteristics (i.e., knowing subject area) of role models relating moderately with professional practice expectations. The two interpersonal factors involved in the student-role model relationship correlated weakly with the factors pertaining to professional practice expectations, while personal characteristics of role models such as race and sex did not correlate significantly.;Other analyses using Chi-square and t statistics found insignificant relationships between role models' involvement with lower income patients in urban settings and students' choices of work setting. In further analysis, no significant relationship was found between students' work setting choices and their actual job placements as recent graduates. Job selection was associated more closely with salary and job availability than the influence of role models.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:wm.edu/oai:scholarworks.wm.edu:etd-2015 |
| Date | 01 January 1983 |
| Creators | Powell, Dorothy Lewis |
| Publisher | W&M ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | William and Mary |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects |
| Rights | © The Author |
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