LAUSR

In this interesting study, the authors present a useful addition to the current literature by focusing on nursing students rather than practising nurses. Personal values and beliefs are important in providing us with a sense of our own identity and in helping us to understand those around us. Thus, values and beliefs may have a direct impact on health, influencing how care is delivered in a compassionate and caring manner. As the authors observe in the reviewed study, it is clear that many nursing students enter their programme of study with strong values. Many participants viewed respect and dignity as essential components of their own core values, and implied that there was a strong relationship between dignity and compassion. Interestingly, it is noted within the reviewed study that, although participants made frequent reference to holistic care, they did not include specific reference to spirituality, even though religion was indicated as an influencer of general values. This is surprising and an issue of importance, since within the healthcare setting we may interact with many individuals from different cultural or religious backgrounds. As such, in future studies it may be useful to invite students to consider how spirituality and other cultural factors might affect values and health beliefs, particularly as many nurses work within multicultural societies. Of further interest is the observation that the synergy between the values participants held and how these values translated into fundamental nursing, and subsequent nursing values was evident through the 6Cs which refer to care, compassion, competence, communication, courage and commitment. Some students viewed the 6Cs as being innate and something that they would naturally follow even if they were not written down. However, it would be useful to consider how such views might change over time, and