Assessment Of Professionalism In Nursing And Factors Associated Among Nurses Working In Arsi Zone Public Hospitals, Oromia, Ethiopia

BackgroundProfessionals are defined in the context of a particular body of knowledge which is obtained through formal education, expanded level of skills, type of certification proving their entry into the profession; a set of behavioral norms called professionalism and attitudes representing high levels of commitment to and identification with a specific profession. Several factor affecting the development of the nursing profession. Recognizing and determining such factors can be the first step to move towards the professionalization of nursing. The objective of this study was to assess professionalism in nursing and factors associated among nurses working in Arsi zone, Public Hospitals, Oromia, Ethiopia 2018. MethodsThis study used an Institutional based cross sectional study design. Self-administered structured questionnaire adapted from RNAO (Registered Nurses association of Ontario) guideline, was used to measure the level of professionalism. The sample was 420 nurses from the six Public Hospitals of Arsi Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. Data was analyzed using SPSS 20.0. Both bivariate and multivariate analysis were carried out to identify associations. Odds ratio was calculated for related factors with 95% confidence interval (CI). A p-value < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. ResultOut of 420 Nurses working in six public Hospitals, 380 responded to the questionnaire, making the response rate of 90.5%. In current study level of professionalism was high among nurses (n=380) with highest percentages on accountability, advocacy, and ethics. Gender (AOR=2.489, 95% CI=1.540-4.023), nursing is indispensable (AOR=1.760, 95% CI=1.104-2.806), job satisfaction (AOR= 1.844, 95% CI = 1.143-2.975) and having up to dated training (AOR= 1.809, 95%CI=1.071-3.055 were significantly associated with overall professionalism level. ConclusionNurses working in public hospitals of Arsi zone have relatively had better professionalism level. Gender, nursing is indispensable, job satisfaction, presence of up-to-dated trainings were found significantly associated with professionalism in nursing. Human resource personnel and CEOs of respective hospitals should develop various training programs for nurses and provide encouraging environments for obtaining better qualities in attributes of professionalism.