Personal Creativity and Caring in Professional Nursing Practice: A Correlational Study
Graduation Date
2004
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department
Nursing
Department or Program Chair
Barbara Ganley, PhD
Thesis Advisor
Barbara Ganley, PhD, RN, HNC
Abstract
Within the nursing literature, professional caring is described as the art of nursing—with much debate as to how to define this art. Often an editorial topic, the value of the humanities in nursing is lacking in research. This is a descriptive correlational study investigating the relationship between personal creativity and professional caring behaviors in nursing practice. Participants included 135 nurses of all degree levels, who completed two research instruments: the Statement of Past Creative Activities to measure personal creativity, and the Caring Behaviors Inventory II to measure professional caring behaviors. Bivariate analysis revealed no direct positive correlation between creativity and caring. However, nurses in the profession over 15 years did score higher than all other groups in creativity. The interface of arts with science is a rich topic that could be uniquely addressed within nursing. With diverse, complex factors contributing to a lack of nurses remaining at the bedside, it is critical for nursing to articulate all aspects of professional caring in a healthcare system that challenges this value.