Moral Distress in Nursing Academia: Evidence from An Autoethnography
Aims
Information is limited regarding moral distress in academia. It’s often not recognized even when physical, emotional, and financial harm is the outcome. This can potentially contribute to faculty attrition and a sense of failure. This study was conducted to find meaning in a 45-year nursing career that evidenced several of these events.
Method
This autoethnography was written between 1/2013 and 5/2023. Self-observation and self-reflection were the primary sources of data. A critical transformative approach guided the collection and analysis of data. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed. Multiple mirrored reflections were produced, and distinct patterns were identified. Synthesis of these patterns resulted in themes that were further analyzed for scope and associated storylines. Triangulation using external documents was employed.
Ethical Consideration
To protect the identity of individuals and institutions anonymous pseudonyms, and altered settings were used in this non interventional study. The researcher was the single participant.
Results
The cultural conflict between individual and organizational values created symptomatic moral distress that could only find relief in action. These actions resulted in consequences that blocked the author’s career advancement and resulted in physical, emotional, and financial harm. Moral distress was recognized as the antecedent to speaking truth to power and was a major turning point during this study. Sub-themes included faculty-to-faculty as well as student-to-faculty incivility and racism.
Conclusions
With moral distress identified, the self was transformed from an identity of failure to one of understanding and compassion. Culture, both individually and organizationally, was found to be a significant factor in producing and responding to the identified moral events.
Impact
Bringing this new meaning to others helps move from a reflexive stance to one that is actionable with a preventive focus. Suggestions are provided along with a call for continued research in this area.
Key Words: Moral distress, autoethnography, incivility, racism, academic culture
Citation
Camillo, P. (2024). Moral Distress in Nursing Academia: Evidence from An Autoethnography. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10509204