CONSTRUCTION AND ATTRIBUTES OF PROFESSIONALISM IN A CHILEAN NURSING SCHOOL

Abstract

Objective: To construct a consensual definition of professionalism that includes the essential attributes of being a professional in a school of nursing. Materials and Methods: Qualitative descriptive design using content analysis in three consecutive phases: 1) Integrative review between 2009 and 2019 in the databases Pubmed, CINAHL, Nursing (Proquest), in the references of the selected studies and in the pages of international scientific societies, without language limitations. From the 33 full texts selected, definitions of professionalism and its attributes were identified through the five stages proposed by Whittemore and Knafl; 2) Exploration with a qualitative approach, whose intentional sample included key informants from the nursing study program, such as final year students, instructors, graduates and employers; 3) Integration of the information collected through a group construction, generating records of definitions and common attributes, which were related under a system of categories until saturation was reached. Finally, a proposal was made for a conceptual definition and attributes of professionalism, validated by a participant in each category. Results: The attributes identified
were the provision of humanized care based on sound scientific knowledge, with leadership, responsibility and respect for individuals, families and communities. Conclusions: Professionalism was defined using five
attributes that are consistent with the international literature. It is relevant that instructors, clinical tutors and
preceptors embrace these attributes, because they ultimately contribute to the training of future professionals.