90 freshman and 90 senior nursing students were asked to draw themselves, the “ideal” nurse, and the most “undesirable” nurse, and were asked to rate themselves on a five-point scale (from least like the ideal through most like the ideal nurse). Most nurses drew themselves in uniform, but seniors did this more frequently than freshmen. Seniors also rated themselves closer to the “ideal” nurse and drew larger figures of the “undesirable” nurse than freshmen. This modification of the Draw-a-Person Test may be useful in predicting successful and unsuccessful nursing candidates and perhaps in identifying those seniors who will practice nursing after graduation.
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