Undergraduate nursing students’ self-reported professional behaviour at the University of Namibia

BACKGROUND: Development of professional behaviour in nursing students is an important part of a nurse’s overall competence. Self-evaluation is one way of measuring professional behaviour amongst nursing students. However, studies on self-reported professional behaviour of nursing students are limited in Namibia. AIM: This study aimed to investigate nursing students’ self-reported professional behaviour at the University of Namibia. SETTING: The setting was a university campus offering a Bachelor of Nursing Science degree in Namibia. METHODS: A quantitative descriptive contextual design was used with 100 nursing students. Data were analysed descriptively using a non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis and ANOVA tests of variance and statistical significance. RESULTS: High mean scores were found in the areas of utilising evidence-based solutions (4.78 ± 0.58), promoting clinical teaching (4.46 ± 0.94), willingness to implement quality improvement initiatives (4.34 ± 0.518), and protecting health, safety and patient’s rights (4.28 ± 0.55). The lowest mean scores were recorded in projecting professional image (2.22 ± 1.27), rendering evidence-based care (4.08 ± 0.44). The study found statistical significance difference between self-reported professional competency (p = 0.01) and quality care improvements (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: In this study, nursing students’ self-reported professional behaviour was rated high (mean scores > 4.0 out of 5). Despite this high rating, it cannot be concluded that the students were professionally competent. We recommend that professional behaviour be measured from both students’ and nurse educators’ or patients’ perspectives. CONTRIBUTION: The findings from this study provide supplementary evidence on self-reported professional behaviour with implications on nursing education and practice.