Honors College Theses
Publication Date
12-5-2023
Major
Nursing (BSN)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (open access)
Faculty Mentor
Steven Waldrop
Abstract
New Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) graduate nurses are leaving careers within inpatient healthcare facilities presumably because of moral distress related to the anticipated workload of registered nurses (RN). BSN curriculums are responsible for providing practical education through clinical instruction; however, many students experience inconsistencies in best practice recommendations. The inconsistencies predominantly originate between didactic nursing instruction and clinical learning within inpatient healthcare facilities. Using a cross-sectional descriptive research design, this thesis utilized the validated Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R), a 21-item instrument that assesses the frequency and intensity of moral distress experienced by healthcare workers. Student responses to the MDS-R were analyzed to present length of time a BSN student intended to maintain a career at an inpatient facility. The results showcased that a higher frequency of moral distress significantly reduced a new nurse’s intended time working within an impatient facility furthermore exhibiting a disconnect between BSN curriculum objectives and clinical education experience. The findings of this study could be applied to recommend curriculum changes and interventions that reduce new graduate nurse moral distress. Thereby, this new knowledge can contribute to a foundation of research aimed at reducing the nurse staffing shortage.
Recommended Citation
Barber, Rebekah L., "Moral Distress as a Predictive Variable of Perceived Job Retention in Senior Nursing Students" (2023). Honors College Theses. 914.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/honors-theses/914
