Structural and Psychological Empowerment and Reflective Thinking: Is There a Link?

Baccalaureate nursing education prepares students to become registered nurses in evolving health care systems. During their program, students' perceptions of empowerment in the nursing profession begin to form, and they are introduced to the process of reflective thinking. The purpose of this integrative literature review is unique in that three concepts are examined and linked-structural empowerment (as conceptualized by Kanter), psychological empowerment (as described by Spreitzer), and reflective thinking (as characterized by Mezirow)-and a theoretical model for testing is proposed. In examining the conceptual links, it is apparent that all three are required for learning and nursing practice. By preparing students to be empowered, reflective professionals, it is proposed that they will be more effective in their academic and future practice work. The conceptual links and proposed model described in this article provide the foundation for building a body of evidence to support or refute this contention.