Hwang, JI, Lou, F, Han, SS, Cao, F, Kim, WO & Li, P 2009, ‘Professionalism: the
major factor influencing job satisfaction among Korean and Chinese nurses’, International Nursing Review, vol.56, pp.313-318.
The issue of nurses’ education and academic degrees remains one of the most acute in the study of nursing care. The goal of this study was to compare the way education impacts Korean and Chinese nurses. Hwang et al. (2009) used the correlational research design and a sample of Korean and Chinese nurses working in several university-affiliated general hospitals to understand how academic degrees impact their professionalism and job satisfaction. The main finding is that education improves nurses’ professionalism which, in turn, increases their job satisfaction. Therefore, nurses with a bachelor’s degree have better chances to feel satisfied with their profession and performance in the workplace.
Martin, P, Yarbrough, S & Alfred, D 2003, ‘Professional values held by baccalaureate
and associate degree nursing students’, Journal of Nursing Scholarship, vol.35, no.3, pp. 291-296.
That education has the potential to impact nurses’ values is a well-known fact. The goal of this study was to determine the extent to which nurses’ professional values were congruent with their education. The researchers evaluated differences and similarities in professional values between nurses with a bachelor’s degree and those with an associate degree in nursing. A total of 39 students with various degrees agreed to participate in the study. According to Martin et al. (2003), the results were rather unexpected and revealed new information concerning the professional values pursued by BSN and ADN nursing students. Contrary to a common belief that education is vital for the development of nurses’ professional values, the researchers did not find any significant differences related to nurses’ academic degrees. Moreover, in certain values, nurses with associate degrees scored higher than their colleagues with a bachelor’s degree. Although education remains an essential factor of nurses’ professionalism and compliance, future research is needed to identify the main variables affecting nurses’ professional values.