Does professional identity play a critical role in the choice to remain in the nursing profession?

Abstract

Aim To explore aspects of professional identity in nurses’ written narratives of what is significant to their choice to remain in the profession. Design This study used a qualitative design and was underpinned by a hermeneutical approach. Methods The participants were recruited via purposive sampling procedures and included 13 nurses aged 26 to 62 years. The data were collected in the form of written narratives to initiate the nurses’ reflections on the decision to remain in the profession. A thematic analysis was conducted. Results The analysis revealed two themes: acting as a professional contributor and realigning to maintain professional belongingness. In the nurses’ written narratives, these aspects of professional identity were clearly significant to their choice to remain in the profession. In a complexly interwoven way, the aspects constructed who the nurses were as professionals, and thus, professional identity seems to play a critical role in the choice to remain.

Factors influencing nursing professional identity development: A qualitative study

“…Many studies defined professional identity based on what professionals do: the behaviors and activities of the profession 1–3,6,8–11 . Researchers also defined professional identity by what professionals know: their knowledge and skills 2,4,12,13 . Others defined nursing professional identity as coming from nursing values, beliefs and ethics, 12,14,15 others as a collective identity with the health care team 4,6,16 .…”

“…It reflects qualitative research on professional identity development from the perspective of both associate degree nursing (ADN) students and baccalaureate degree nursing (BSN) students in their own words. Past qualitative research has described elements related to nursing professional identity development such as the use of social media, 1 transition to practice, 2 moral competencies, 3 the social nature of professional identity formation, 4 use of the nursing process, 5 and concept mapping 6 . However, much of this research was done with practicing nurses or nursing students outside the United States.…”

Registered Nurse’s Perception on Nursing Brand Image during the COVID-19 Pandemic Era in Indonesia

“…Active engagement with other community could develop self-motivation and independent learners and drive change in the nursing field [47]. It is also supported by a recent study stating that nurses followed a professional path that included significant engagement and a lifelong process of continuous education based on the code of nursing profession [49].…”

Solidarity in a Community of Nursing Colleagues

“…Communities have been shown to influence nurses’ collaborative opportunities to perform high-quality, effective nursing practice (Benner et al., 2010). Nevertheless, colleagues can influence nurses by diminishing the desire to work and remain in the current position (Gilmartin, 2012; Liebermann et al., 2015; Kristoffersen, 2021). Nursing leadership is therefore key.…”

“…The other five competencies are patient-centered care, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, safety and informatics. Communities represent a collection of forces that affect nurses’ desires to stay in their current position and are an indicator of the long-term feasibility of jobs (Gilmartin, 2012; Liebermann et al., 2015; Kristoffersen, 2021).…”