Relationship of self-actualization, sophistication-of-body-concept, perceptual field independence, and dominant interests of graduate students in nursing to enrollment in four areas of clinical speciality and choice of three functional areas

It is a commonly held belief in nursing that there are certain stereotypical nurses within the various clinical specialty areas as well as in the different functional positions such as teaching, administration, supervision, and clinical practice. Likewise, these stereotypes are applied to the students in the master's and higher degree programs in nursing. In order to answer the question of whether there is in fact some relationship of personality to graduate school enrollment in a clinical nursing major or stated preference for a functional area after graduation, this study of the level of self-actualization, psychological differentiation, and dominant motivations of graduate students in nursing was conducted. A sample of 47 graduate students enrolled in the Master's degree program in nursing at the University of Utah during the academic year 1971-72 were administered the Personality Orientation rnventt)ry (POI), the Figure Drawing Test (FDT), the Rod-and-Frame Test (RFT), the Allport-Vernon-Lindzey Study of Values (AVL), and a Self-Report Inventory, consisting of demographic data including age, family situation, and previoiiH professional experience. Analysis of variance of all variables according to clinical major and according to choice of functional area after graduation was computed. Correlational and factor analysis usin^ all variables were also computed. Statistically significanl differences between the clinical majors was found on 3 scales of the POI, as well as the 2 ratio scores. The medical-surgical majors scored significantly higher than the pediatric and maternal-newborn majors on the Self-regard scale (p < .01). Medical-surgical majors also scored higher than the pediatric majors on the Self-acceptance scale (p < .05) and time competence and inner-directed ratios (p < .05). The psychiatric, maternal-newborn, and medical-surgical groups all scored significantly higher than the pediatric group on Acceptance of agression (p < .05). All major groups scored above the norm on the Aesthetic value on the AVL, although the maternal-newborn majors scored significantly lower (p < . 05) than the other majors on this value. While they scored significantly higher than the maternal-newborn and psychiatric groups on the Theoretical value, the medical-surgical group scored significantly lower (p <r . 05) than any of the other groups on the Social value. The maternal-newborn group more strongly (p < .01) held the Religious value than any of the other groups. Nurses in each major except pediatrics had significantly more previous professional experience in their clinical major area than did the nurses in the other major areas: the medical-surgical inajors had more medical-surgical experience (p < .01), the maternal-newborn majors had more obstetric or nursery experience (p < .05), and the psychiatric majors had by far the most psychiatric experience (p < .01). Pediatric and medical-surgical experience correlated at the (p < .05) level with enrollment in one of these two major areas.The graduate students preferring to work in teaching after graduation were significantly more likely to be married (p < .05), have childien (p < .05), and to have in-state tuition status (p < .01) than those choosing clinical practice or supervision.The students choosing supervision were more likely to have had public health nursing experience (p < .05), to be less inner-directed (p < .05), and less prone to hold the values of self-actualizing people (p < .01). No statistically significant findings concerning the RFT and FDT scores were found. Limitations of the study, factors possibly related to the differences among the clinical major and functional choice groups, and implications for application of the findings are discussed.