Practical nursing students’ discursive practices on smoking in Finland

ABSTRACT

Purpose: Based on focus groups, we analyse how practical nursing students deal with being as smokers and future healthcare workers. The way they justify their smoking is discussed within a group of peers.

Methods: The study has a qualitative design with an inductive approach using focus group interviews (FGIs) for data collection. A total of 29 students were interviewed in five groups of five and one group of four participants.

Results: In the analysis, we found four different discursive practices the students utilized for rationalizing their own smoking and coping with the moral dilemma of smoking in a context of health care where smoking is forbidden: (1) students normalized smoking with references to its prevalence within their social circles, (2) the students asserted that their smoking was under control, (3) students considered themselves responsible smokers, and (4) students identified smoking as a part of their identity.

Conclusion: Training should support the growth of professional identity and address the smoker’s identity right from the start of education. Smokers need special attention in the formulation of professional identity, however, without being stigmatized any further.

KEYWORDS:

• Focus group interview
• practical nurse
• vocational school
• views
• smoking
• Normalization
• smoker identity

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Juho Vainion Säätiö [Grant number 201810080].

Notes on contributors

Hanna Aho

Hanna Aho is a doctoral student (Ph.D.) in the Faculty of Social Sciences, Health Sciences with a special interest in adolescent health, smoking behavior, and health promotion.

Ilkka Pietilä

Ilkka Pietilä is an assistant professor of Social Gerontology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki. His research interests relate to people’s (gendered) interpretations of aging and health, covering such themes as aging bodies, ageism, masculinities, consumption, risk discourse and coping with chronic illness.

Katja Joronen

Katja Joronen is an adjunct professor in the faculty of social science, health sciences with a special interest in health, well-being, health promotion and services of children, adolescents, and their families.