Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between professional autonomy in nursing and consciousness as role models and experience as a practical guide for nursing students. Two hundred and eight-three professional nurses in a public hospital participated in a questionnaire survey conducted by Kikuchi & Harada (1996), which included items related to the scaling of the professional autonomy in nursing and their consciousness as role models as well as their years of experience as a practical guide for nursing students. The main results were as follows:(1) Professional autonomy in nursing was classified into five categories:“concrete judgment”,“abstract judgment”,“cognition”,“performance”and“independent judgment”, as in a previous survey.(2) It was indicated that the years of experience associated with increasing the score of consciousness as role model for nursing students in clinical instructors. Particularly significant mean differences was observed five or less years of experience group and more than five years group.(3) Clinical instructors had significantly higher scores of“cognition”than nurses who had no experience being a clinical instructor. To realize“cognition”and“performance”, three to five years of experience as clinical instructor was necessary.(4)“Concrete judgment”and“performance”in clinical instructors had a significant and positive correlations with their consciousness as role models for nursing students.
