Professional values of Hispanic nurses: The experience of nursing education

This study used Heideggerian phenomenology to understand the lived experience of Hispanic nurses working in the Pacific Northwest. Twenty-seven practicing Hispanic nurses were interviewed about their experiences in nursing education and practice; this report focuses on the nursing education experience. Though many common themes emerged, the method precludes generalizability but instead offers understanding of what it meant to be a Hispanic nursing student for the study participants. Some of the findings supported those reported previously. Others framed a new understanding of the interplay of values impacting the Hispanic nursing student. Findings reinforced the understanding that Hispanic nurses (and nursing students) are not a homogeneous group. Issues for some students not previously identified included the burden of being "the voice" for all Hispanics, discomfort with self-disclosure, a lack of familiarity or discomfort with assuming educational debt, leaving home to create geographical distance from family responsibilities, and continued cultural incompetence of faculty. Recommendations are included.