Nursing schools emphasize lessons in academic honesty

Being a successful nurse requires greater than just graduating from an accredited program and demonstrating good clinical skills. It also means acting ethically, responsibly and respectfully. Deborah Raines, PhD, EdS, RN, ANEF, associate professor of nursing, UW University at Buffalo School of Nursing in New York, stated that along with mastering college coursework, nursing students must achieve and maintain academic integrity. “Employers want nurses who have a strong work ethic, interpersonal and teamwork skills, and the ability to solve complex problems,” Raines said. Raines, who discussed the subject of educational integrity on the AACN Baccalaureate Conference, will speak on the subject Nov. 17 on the Sigma Theta Tau Convention in Las Vegas. She said academic integrity goes beyond cheating on an exam or plagiarizing a term paper. It also includes values ​​equivalent to honesty, trust, justice, respect and responsibility. “Because the integrity of the healthcare professional is fundamental to the nurse’s role and responsibility,” Raines said. “It is important for nursing schools to promote integrity and not just focus on catching and punishing cheaters. The emphasis on academic integrity has implications for learning, behavior and professionalism.”

Beyond cheating

While many colleges place a heavy emphasis on stopping cheating, Raines said some institutions must focus more on enforcing academic integrity. “When a term paper is due by a certain date and a nursing student gives multiple excuses as to why it is incomplete, or if they do not regularly turn in homework in class, they need to be held accountable,” Raines said. . “As nurses, these students must realize that their actions will impact the lives of many patients, and when you are a nurse, being late for a shift or neglecting job responsibilities will not be tolerated.” Raines said it will be significant for nursing instructors to set high expectations for college kids and communicate their expectations for educational integrity and explain why it will be significant. Instead of focusing only on the negatives, equivalent to stopping cheating, instructors should give attention to the positives, equivalent to promoting academic and private integrity. One recent study found that students understood that they shouldn’t plagiarize, but didn’t understand why. They avoided plagiarism because they didn’t wish to get in trouble with their professors, but they didn’t understand what it was or why it was an issue. The International Center for Academic Integrity found that 22% of scholars admitted to cheating on a test or exam, but about twice as many (43%) engaged in “unauthorized collaboration” on homework assignments they didn’t consider inappropriate. Raines encouraged nursing instructors to debate personal integrity and the impact of deception and dishonesty on self-esteem with their students. If a student involves class but has a nonchalant attitude towards class, how can she achieve success as a nurse? “Teachers must also be role models and exemplary high standards of academic integrity,” Raines said. “This means that stated office hours are met, emails are returned within the specified time frame, and tests and theses are returned to students as promised.” Instructors also needs to have policies in place to cope with student violations and clearly state what the implications might be if a student is late for sophistication, fails to show in assignments, etc.

Promoting academic integrity across cultures

Robyn Nelson, Ph.D., RN, Dean, College of Nursing at West Coast University in Ontario, California., stated that her nursing school focuses on “fostering a culture of integrity and personal responsibility.” Nelson said this includes making an allowance for cultural differences and expectations. For example, the Western sort of citing sources when writing term papers isn’t universal. Many Asian students come from educational systems where the norm is to repeat the textbook verbatim without citation as an indication of respect for the source of information. Language barriers may additionally prevent students from fully understanding codes of conduct. In such cases, it could be helpful to supply international students guidance on the concept of educational integrity and discuss expectations. “We work to ensure that all students understand that academic dishonesty jeopardizes the quality of education provided and devalues ​​the achievements of others,” Nelson said. “Each of our testing forms also includes an acknowledgment form that students must sign confirming they understand our school’s honor code and the consequences that may occur as a result of violating our academic honesty and integrity policy.”

We can provide help to start your next nursing education journey. To learn more, visit our Higher Education Guide and comprehensive school directory.