RESUMEN
AIM: This study aimed to explore how nursing students define and describe academic and clinical integrity and to identify social and psychological influences on student decisions to act with integrity. BACKGROUD: Nursing students are exhibiting a decline in academic and clinical integrity. Academic dishonesty often correlates to clinical dishonesty, subsequently impacting patient care quality and safety. Student perceptions and understanding of integrity are unknown. METHOD: A qualitative descriptive approach guided this study. A purposive sample of 19 traditional baccalaureate nursing students was recruited to participate in one-hour face-to-face interviews. RESULTS: All participants defined academic and clinical integrity as honest, ethical, and accountable behavior. Additional subthemes of characteristics, facilitators and barriers, and outcomes of acting with integrity emerged. CONCLUSION: Students recognize the positive characteristics of integrity and their effects on personal growth and optimal patient outcomes. These findings can inform faculty in developing and supporting a culture of integrity.