Faculty Conceptualisations of Professional Nursing Care in a Nordic Educational Context

Background: Nursing education in the Nordic region faces increasing pressures from acceleration, standardisation, and declining student retention, risking erosion of caring as a professional core. Although clinical understandings of care are well documented, less is known about faculty conceptualisations in theoretical learning environments. Aim: This study explores how nursing faculty conceptualise professional nursing care. Method: A qualitative survey with 70 faculty members across three campuses was analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, supplemented by collaborative data analysis and informed by relevant COREQ elements. Findings: Five interrelated themes describe professional nursing care as ethical, relational, and context-sensitive: 1) recognising the human being, 2) being present and attuned, 3) taking ethical and relational responsibility, 4) applying knowledge with reflective judgement, and 5) leading and collaborating. Conclusion: Faculty portray professional nursing care as an integrated practice uniting presence, knowledge and responsibility.