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Role conceptions of baccalaureate nursing graduates

University of British Columbia

Role conflict experienced in the transition from the educational institution to the work organization can be understood through the study of role conceptions; where inconsistency between ideal role conceptions and actual experience is termed role deprivation. This study is a descriptive survey of the role conceptions of the 1980 baccalaureate graduates of The University of British Columbia School of Nursing. Role conceptions were measured by the Nursing Role Conception Scale (Corwin, 1960) one month prior to graduation (N=77) and six months following graduation for those employed in a hospital setting (N=37). In addition, completion of the Work Experience Questionnaire provided data to describe the employment status of these graduates (N=62) six months following graduation. Results of this study are presented in terms of bureaucratic, professional and service role conception and role deprivation scores. The findings are also analyzed for two sub-groups of graduates; those who completed four years of university nursing education (UBC-4) and those who entered as registered nurses and completed the last two years of the program (UBC-2). This study reveals three findings of major importance. The first is the absence of differences in the role conception scores of UBC-2 and UBC-4 groups of baccalaureate graduates, despite differences in educational process. The second is that the mean bureaucratic role deprivation score remained constant for UBC-2 graduates but decreased significantly for the UBC-4 graduates over the six month post-graduation period. The third finding is an observed significant decrease in service role deprivation scores over the six month period following graduation. The important implications of these findings nursing education, nursing service and patient care delivery are addressed and suggestions for further study are presented.

Text

2010-03-23

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/22324

Nursing

University of British Columbia

Graduate