Examining the relationship between professional self-concept and professional commitment level among nursing students at the graduation stage

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to examine the levels of professional commitment and professional self-concept among nursing students approaching graduation and to explore the relationship between these two variables. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among senior nursing students (N = 162) at a state university in Ankara. Data were collected in June 2023 using the student introductory information form, Professional Commitment in Nursing Scale (PCNS), and Professional Self-Concept Scale for the Student (SNPSCS). Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The average age of the participants was 22.4 and the majority were female (95.1%) and single (98.8%). The mean scores for professional commitment and Professional self-concept were measured as 77.4 ± 11.4 and 140.9 ± 14.0, respectively. Positive relationships were found between professional commitment and self-concept (r = 0.767, p <0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that professional self-concept explained 66% of the total variance in professional commitment (Radj2 = 0.66). Additionally, professional self-concept explains 48%, 70%, and 36% of the variance in willingness to make an effort, maintaining membership, and believe in goals and values, respectively. Conclusions: This study highlights the crucial role of professional self-concept in shaping nursing students' professional commitment. Developing a robust professional identity through educational programs can enhance students' commitment levels. However, a high professional self-concept does not ensure long-term career retention, emphasizing the need for ongoing support during the transition from student to professional. Further research on professional self-concept and commitment in other health professions is recommended to broaden understanding and improve healthcare practices.

Keywords

• Professional identity
• work engagement
• nursing student
• education
• graduate

Mezuniyet aşamasındaki hemşirelik öğrencilerinde profesyonel benlik kavramı ile mesleğe bağlılık düzeyi arasındaki ilişkinin incelenmesi

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, mezuniyete yaklaşan hemşirelik öğrencileri arasında mesleki bağlılık ve profesyonel benlik kavramı düzeylerini incelemek ve bu iki değişken arasındaki ilişkiyi araştırmaktır. Yöntem: Bu tanımlayıcı kesitsel çalışma, Ankara'da bir devlet üniversitesinde hemşirelik son sınıf öğrencileri (N = 162) arasında gerçekleştirildi. Veriler, Haziran 2023'te, öğrenci tanıtıcı bilgi formu, Hemşirelikte Mesleğe Bağlılık Ölçeği ve Öğrenci Hemşirelerde Profesyonel Benlik Kavramı Ölçeği kullanılarak toplandı. Verilerin analizinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler, Pearson korelasyon analizi ve çoklu doğrusal regresyon analizi kullanıldı. Bulgular: Katılımcıların yaş ortalaması 22,4 olup çoğunluğu kadın (%95,1) ve bekardır (%98,8). Mesleki bağlılık ve profesyonel benlik kavramına ilişkin ortalama puanlar sırasıyla 77,4 ± 11,4 ve 140,9 ± 14,0 olarak ölçülmüştür. Mesleki bağlılık ile profesyonel benlik kavramı arasında pozitif ilişkiler bulunmuştur (r = 0,767, p <0,001). Çoklu doğrusal regresyon analizi, profesyonel benlik kavramının mesleki bağlılıktaki toplam varyansın %66'sını açıkladığını göstermiştir (Radj2 = 0.66). Ayrıca profesyonel benlik kavramı, çaba gösterme istekliliği, meslek üyeliğini sürdürme, hedef ve değerlere olan inançtaki varyansın sırasıyla %48, %70 ve %36'sını açıklamaktadır. Sonuç: Bu çalışma, hemşirelik öğrencilerinin mesleki bağlılığını şekillendirmede profesyonel benlik kavramın önemli rolünü vurgulamaktadır. Eğitim programları aracılığıyla sağlam bir profesyonel kimlik geliştirmek, öğrencilerin bağlılık seviyelerini artırabilir. Ancak, yüksek bir profesyonel benlik kavram, uzun vadeli kariyer devamlılığını garanti etmez ve öğrencilikten mesleğe geçiş sırasında sürekli desteğe olan ihtiyacı vurgular. Sağlık hizmetleri uygulamalarını daha iyi anlamak ve geliştirmek için diğer sağlık mesleklerinde profesyonel benlik kavramı ve mesleki bağlılık üzerine daha fazla araştırma yapılması önerilmektedir.

Keywords

• Profesyonel kimlik
• işe bağlılık
• hemşirelik öğrencileri
• eğitim
• mezun

References

1. REFERENCES 1. Organization WH. Second round of the national pulse survey on continuity of essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. World Health Organization; 2021.
2. 2. Boniol M, Kunjumen T, Nair T, Siyam A, Campbell J, Diallo K. The global health workforce stock and distribution in 2020 and 2030: a threat to equity and 'universal' health coverage? BMJ Global Health. 2022;7.
3. 3. Roth L, Le Saux C, Gilles I, Peytremann-Bridevaux I. Factors Associated With Intent to Leave the Profession for the Allied Health Workforce: A Rapid Review. Medical Care Research and Review. 2024;81:3-18.
4. 4. Darbyshire D, Brewster L, Isba R, Body R, Basit U, Goodwin D. Retention of doctors in emergency medicine: a scoping review of the academic literature. Emergency Medicine Journal. 2021;38:663-72.
5. 5. Laschinger HKS, Grau AL, Finegan J, Wilk P. Predictors of new graduate nurses' workplace well-being: Testing the job demands-resources model. Health Care Management Review. 2012;37(2):175-86.
6. 6. Chang HY, Lee IC, Chu TL, Liu YC, Liao YN, Teng CI. The role of professional commitment in improving nurses' professional capabilities and reducing their intention to leave: Two-wave surveys. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2019;75(9):1889-901.
7. 7. Chang HY, Shyu YIL, Wong MK, Friesner D, Chu TL, Teng CI. Which Aspects of Professional Commitment Can Effectively Retain Nurses in the Nursing Profession? Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 2015;47(5):468-76.
8. 8. Blay N, Smith LE. An integrative review of Enrolled Nurse recruitment and retention. Collegian. 2020;27(1):89-94.

9. 9. Mills J, Woods C, Harrison H, Chamberlain-Salaun J, Spencer B. Retention of early career registered nurses: the influence of self-concept, practice environment and resilience in the first five years post-graduation. Journal of Research in Nursing. 2017;22(5):372-85.
10. 10. Cöplü M, Kartin PT. Professional self-concept and professional values of senior students of the nursing department. Nursing Ethics. 2019;26(5):1387-97.
11. 11. Feng J, Sang W, Lei Z, Qu G, Li X, Ferrier A, et al. The impact of burnout on turnover intention among Chinese general practitioners: The mediating effect of job satisfaction and the moderating effect of professional identity. International Journal of Social Psychiatry. 2023;69:705-13.
12. 12. Goliroshan S, Nobahar M, Raeisdana N, Ebadinejad Z, Aziznejadroshan P. The protective role of professional self-concept and job embeddedness on nurses' burnout: structural equation modeling. Bmc Nursing. 2021;20(1):15.
13. 13. Cowin LS, Hengstberger-Sims C. New graduate nurse self-concept and retention: A longitudinal survey. International Journal of Nursing Studies. 2006;43(1):59-70.
14. 14. Faihs V, Heininger S, McLennan S, Gartmeier M, Berberat P, Wijnen-Meijer M. Professional Identity and Motivation for Medical School in First-Year Medical Students: A Cross-sectional Study. Medical Science Educator. 2023;33:431-41.
15. 15. Johnson M, Cowin LS, Wilson I, Young H. Professional identity and nursing: contemporary theoretical developments and future research challenges. International Nursing Review. 2012;59(4):562-9.
16. 16. Sarraf-Yazdi S, Teo Y, How A, Teo Y, Goh S, Kow C, et al. A Scoping Review of Professional Identity Formation in Undergraduate Medical Education. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2021;36:3511-21.
17. 17. Xu Y, Liang YQ, Ye H. Literature review of the research on nursing students' professional self-concept. Medical Education Online. 2023;28(1):10.
18. 18. Cowin LS, Craven RG, Johnson M, Marsh HW. A longitudinal study of student and experienced nurses' self-concept. Collegian. 2006;13(3):25-31.
19. 19. Jahromi ZB, Kargar M, Ramezanli S. Nursing students' professional self-concept and clinical performance. Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science. 2016;15(1):57-61.
20. 20. Li C, Ye X, Yu C, Wu H. The effect of an information intervention on the career commitment of medical students: evidence from a randomized experiment. Frontiers in Medicine. 2023;10.
21. 21. Jiang H, Wang Y, Chui E, Xu Y. Professional identity and turnover intentions of social workers in Beijing, China: The roles of job satisfaction and agency type. International Social Work. 2019;62:146-60.
22. 22. Lu KY, Chiou SL, Chang YY. A study of the professional commitment changes from nursing students to registered nurses. The Kaohsiung Journal of Medical Sciences ,. 2000;16:39-46.
23. 23. Çetinkaya A, Özmen D, Temel AB. Hemşirelikte Mesleğe Bağlılık Ölçeği’nin geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Fakültesi Elektronik Dergisi. 2015;8(2):54-60.
24. 24. Sabanciogullari S, Dogan S. Professional self-concept scale in student nurses; Development, reliability, validity. Journal of Ege University School of Nursing. 2011;27(2):35–45.
25. 25. Zhang JY, Ren XR, Lai FX, Chen J, Shan SN, Tian L. Professional commitment and related factors among nursing undergraduates: A latent profile analysis. Nurse Education Today. 2023;131:7.
26. 26. Ayaz-Alkaya S, Yaman-Sozbir S, Bayrak-Kahraman B. The effect of nursing internship program on burnout and professional commitment. Nurse Education Today. 2018;68:19-22.
27. 27. Badiyepeyma Z, Hojjat M, Parandavar N, Ramezanli S, Mosalanejad L, Jahrom I. The relationship between professional self-concept and nursing students’ decision for job retention. J Pharm Biomed Sci. 2014;4(2):156-61.
28. 28. Chen H, Liu C, Yang S, Wang Y, Hsieh P. Factors Related to Care Competence, Workplace Stress, and Intention to Stay among Novice Nurses during the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2021;18(4).
29. 29. Brewington J, Phillips B, Godfrey N. Professional Identity in Nursing: Adopting a Systems Approach Regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Nursing Education Perspectives. 2023;44(1):70-1.
30. 30. Kristoffersen M. Does professional identity play a critical role in the choice to remain in the nursing profession? Nursing Open. 2021;8(4):1928-36.
31. 31. Zadeh S, Parviniannasab A, Bijani M, Dehghan A, Zare A. The nurses' clinical environment belongingness and professional identity: The mediating role of professional values. NURSING ETHICS. 2024.
32. 32. Varshney D, Varshney NK. Self-concept and job performance: the mediating role of resilience. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management. 2023:24.
33. 33. Farhadi A, Bagherzadeh R, Moradi A, Nemati R, Sadeghmoghadam L. The relationship between professional self-concept and work-related quality of life of nurses working in the wards of patients with COVID-19. Bmc Nursing. 2021;20(1):8.
34. 34. Cowin LS, Johnson M. From student to graduate: longitudinal changes in the qualities of nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2015;71(12):2911-22.
35. 35. Ulupinar S, Aydogan Y. New graduate nurses' satisfaction, adaptation and intention to leave in their first year: A descriptive study. Journal of Nursing Management. 2021;29(6):1830-40.
36. 36. Gautam S, Poudel A, Paudyal K, Prajapati MM. Transition to professional practice: Perspectives of new nursing graduates of Nepal. Bmc Nursing. 2023;22(1).
37. 37. Park SY, Kim H, Ma CJ. Factors associated with difficulty in adapting and intent to leave among new graduate nurses in South Korea. Health Care Management Review. 2022;47(2):168-78.
38. 38. Reebals C, Wood T, Markaki A. Transition to Practice for New Nurse Graduates: Barriers and Mitigating Strategies. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 2022;44(4):416-29.