The Self-image of Filipino Nurses

Abstract

Image is an essential factor in the development of the nursing profession. It may have an impact on nursing workload, resource allocation to nursing, salaries available to nurses, recruitment of students, and public trust and funding for research. This paper determined the self- image of Filipino nurses in Region I, Philippines. Mixed-methods convergent parallel research design was employed. The quantitative data has undergone statistical analysis (i.e., Mean) while the qualitative data were transcribed, coded, and themes were subsequently developed. The quantitative part determined the extent of self-image of nurses using the Porter Nursing Image Scale.  A convenience sample of 1,125 nurses currently employed in Region 1 Philippines was employed to determine their self-image.   On the qualitative section, 23 purposively sampled nurses from three employment settings (i.e., hospital, public health, and academe) were interviewed using semi-structured questions. The quantitative aspect revealed that the overall self-image of nurses is extremely positive.  Out of the 22 characteristics that described the self-image of nurses, the nurses highly rated themselves in 19 items and it is interpreted as extremely positive image. The five qualities that were found to be the image most commonly manifested are respectful, compassionate, responsible, nurturing, and professional.  Nurses, however, rated themselves lower in being powerful, bold and follower which is interpreted as positive image. In the qualitative aspect, nurses gave additional descriptions of their image. These include being spiritual, self-fulfilled, and modern-day hero. The findings have implications on policy development and implementation, nursing ethics, and recruitment and retention.