Abstract
In the evolving landscape of nursing education in China, where only 0.2% of clinical nurses hold master's degrees, upholding professional values among nursing students is crucial in ensuring good patient, nurse, and organization outcomes. Empathy and ethical sensitivity are pivotal in shaping professional values, affecting decision-making, stress management, and nurse-patient relationships. Yet, the underlying mechanisms of empathy and ethical sensitivity in enhancing professional values among nursing master's students remain underexplored. This cross-sectional study aims to test and compare 2 mediation models with empathy and ethical sensitivity as mediators in affecting professional values among nursing master's students in China. From September to October 2023, 236 nursing master's students were selected from a university in Jiangsu Province, China, using convenience sampling. The students' empathy, ethical sensitivity, and professional values were assessed using the Jefferson Scale of Physician Empathy-Nursing Student (JSPE-NS), the Ethical Sensitivity Questionnaire for Nursing Students (ESQ-NS), and the Nursing Professional Values Scale (NPVS), respectively. Multivariate linear regression analyses were used to assess the effects of empathy and ethical sensitivity on professional values. The mediation models were examined via bootstrapping techniques using SPSS PROCESS v.4.3 macros (Model 4). Findings revealed that the mean scores for empathy, ethical sensitivity, and professional values among nursing master's students were 104.64 ± 17.28, 39.43 ± 7.71, and 97.99 ± 18.69, respectively. Both empathy (β = 0.385, P < .001) and ethical sensitivity (β = 0.371, P < .001) were independently associated with professional values. Both medication models were statistically significant, and we chose the model that aligns better with established nursing theory and practice: ethical sensitivity partially mediated the relationship between empathy and professional values. The level of professional values among nursing master's students is moderate. Additionally, ethical sensitivity plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between empathy and professional values. Therefore, enhancing ethical education to improve the ethical sensitivity and empathy of nursing master's students is essential for fostering the establishment of appropriate professional values.