Perceptions of intern physicians about nursing profession: a qualitative research

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine how the concept of 'nursing' was perceived by intern doctors working at a medical faculty hospital. Materials and Methods: This study used a qualitative approach. The study was conducted at a medical faculty with intern doctors using the word association test, and a conceptual analysis of the nursing profession was conducted. Study participants comprised 54 intern doctors (30 males and 24 females) who voluntarily participated in the study, and the saturation point was considered (n=54). Results: Tags and frequency numbers of the themes were as follows: task conflict (f=62), negative perception burden (f=128) and professional nursing perception (f=117). The participants stated that nurses sometimes acted as physicians (occupational disorder). Nursing-related professional identity items included expressions such as altruism, devotion and self-sacrifice. The participants expressed a negative perception of nursing (e.g. sullenness and aggressiveness). Conclusion: According to the results of the study, negative perception about nursing is dominant among the intern doctors. At the point of changing relations between colleagues, interprofessional education can be applied at the undergraduate level. Joint courses should be conducted under the name of doctor-nurse cooperation. However, the answers to some questions in clinical practice can help improve professional cooperation between nurses and physicians: Why cannot we turn negative perception into a positive one? And can interprofessional learning help?