EXPLORING MORAL AND ETHICAL PRACTICE DURING NURSING EDUCATION: A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF THE LIVED EXPERIENCES OF POSTGRADUATE NURSING STUDENTS

Abstract

Background: Moral and ethical practice is a core element of professional nursing practice although there are concerns about the lack of attention given to moral growth in postgraduate nursing education. Currently limited evidence available regarding lived experiences of postgraduate nursing students. Aim: To explore lived experiences of postgraduate nursing students regarding moral and ethical practice during nursing education. Methods: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted among the postgraduate nursing students studying in selected universities of Gujarat state. The participants were selected using purposive sampling to ensure information rich experience. Data were obtained by means of semi-structured interviews protocol and analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis. Strategies to improve trustworthiness included member verification, supervisor debriefing, reflexive journaling, and preservation of an audit trail. Results: The analysis identified five major themes: First influence of educators on moral development, emphasizing the value of faculty as role models; Second professional identity formation, describing the maturation of ethical values and professional responsibility; Third humanistic and compassionate care, highlighting empathy, respect and dignity and patient-centredness as core professional attributes; fourth experiential moral learning, demonstrating how clinical placements, reflective practice and real-life ethical dilemmas enhanced moral reasoning and ethical decision-making; and fifth curriculum challenges and future directions, describing the absence of explicit teaching, inconsistent role modelling, lack of opportunities for ethical reflection and inadequate assessment of moral competencies in postgraduate nursing programmes. Conclusion: The lived experiences of postgraduate nursing students highlight the need to prioritise the moral and ethical dimensions of nursing education. Moral and ethical practice developed through the dynamic interplay of educator role modelling, experiential clinical learning, reflective practice, professional relationships, and the hidden curriculum rather than through formal ethics teaching alone. Postgraduate nursing education should therefore integrate reflective pedagogy, experiential ethics learning, faculty mentorship, and authentic assessment of moral competencies to prepare compassionate, ethically grounded, and socially accountable nursing professionals.