Occupational values of nurses who succeeded their mothers in nursing [继承母亲从事护理工作的护士的职业价值观]

Abstract

Aims: To investigate how nurses who succeeded their mothers in the occupation are affected by their mothers and to explore how such nurses value their occupation. Background: Although children who succeed their parents in an occupation have shown high job satisfaction and persistence, no study has presented this phenomenon in nursing perspectives. Design: A qualitative study using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Methods: Data were collected from July 2016–September 2017 through in-depth interviews with seven mother–daughter nurse dyads. Data were analysed using dyadic analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Three essential themes were derived: having affection for nursing per se; regarding the person per se as the primary value in nursing, instead of the person as a patient; and making a resolution to become a good nurse to follow their mothers’ footsteps. Person-centred nursing was the core occupational value of nurses who succeeded their mothers in nursing. Conclusion: Although daughters felt burdened by following their mothers into the nursing profession, they had a sense of responsibility to fulfill their duties in nursing and indicated that maintaining a balance between being responsible and feeling burdened was more important than anything else. Impact: The present study can serve as a useful educational material for understanding the consequences of the succession of parents’ occupation in the perspective of nursing. It illustrates how nurses who succeed their mothers in the profession are influenced by their mothers to value person-centred nursing and subsequently their rapid clinical adaptation. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons Ltd