Denise Deppoliti1. 1. St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, 301 Prospect Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13203, USA.
Abstract
PURPOSE: To describe and explore the experiences that contribute to the construction of professional identity in hospital nurses 1 to 3 years postgraduation from nursing school. METHODOLOGY: This qualitative study used in-depth interviewing and open-ended questions with a semistructured format. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Twenty-one interviews were conducted with 16 participants. The researcher analyzed the data through the lens of symbolic interactionism. RESULTS: The study identified various passage points as nurses progressed in establishing their professional identity in the first 3 years after graduation. These points required adaptation to stress to accomplish successful negotiation and included finding a niche, orientation, the conflict of caring, taking the licensure examination, becoming a charge nurse, and moving on. A sense of responsibility and the need for continual learning and perfection were inherent in all passage points. CONCLUSION: The significance of this study rests in situational influences on the construction of identity, the need for balance and support in the practice environment, passage points in the first 3 years of practice, and the organizational need to support nursing empowerment and voice.
PURPOSE: To describe and explore the experiences that contribute to the construction of professional identity in hospital nurses 1 to 3 years postgraduation from nursing school. METHODOLOGY: This qualitative study used in-depth interviewing and open-ended questions with a semistructured format. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Twenty-one interviews were conducted with 16 participants. The researcher analyzed the data through the lens of symbolic interactionism. RESULTS: The study identified various passage points as nurses progressed in establishing their professional identity in the first 3 years after graduation. These points required adaptation to stress to accomplish successful negotiation and included finding a niche, orientation, the conflict of caring, taking the licensure examination, becoming a charge nurse, and moving on. A sense of responsibility and the need for continual learning and perfection were inherent in all passage points. CONCLUSION: The significance of this study rests in situational influences on the construction of identity, the need for balance and support in the practice environment, passage points in the first 3 years of practice, and the organizational need to support nursing empowerment and voice.
Authors: Nikolina Farčić; Ivana Barać; Robert Lovrić; Stana Pačarić; Zvjezdana Gvozdanović; Vesna Ilakovac Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2020-04-28 Impact factor: 3.390