Yu-Jie Guo1, Lei Yang2, Hai-Xia Ji3, Qiao Zhao2. 1. School of Nursing, Nantong University, Nantong, China. Electronic address: smmugyj@163.com. 2. School of Nursing, Nantong University, Nantong, China. 3. Department of ophthalmology Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Caring is recognized as the essence of nursing and the core of nursing practice while a positive professional identity can lead to personal, social and professional fulfillment. Analyzing caring characters and professional identity yields important indications for the improvement of teaching methods. This study aims to explore the graduate nursing students' professional identity and caring characters in China, and analyze their correlation. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to collect data from 216 graduate nursing students between January and February 2017 in China. RESULTS: Graduate nursing students perceived they possessed positive caring characters while their professional identity was at a low level. A significant positive correlation was found between the Nursing Caring Characters Assessment Tool and Professional Identity Scale for Nursing Students. CONCLUSION: Graduate nursing students' professional identity was not satisfactory and one strategy to improve this is to internalize caring into the education process. Nursing educators should focus more on the formation of the students' professional identity and caring as a contributing factor to it.
BACKGROUND: Caring is recognized as the essence of nursing and the core of nursing practice while a positive professional identity can lead to personal, social and professional fulfillment. Analyzing caring characters and professional identity yields important indications for the improvement of teaching methods. This study aims to explore the graduate nursing students' professional identity and caring characters in China, and analyze their correlation. METHOD: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to collect data from 216 graduate nursing students between January and February 2017 in China. RESULTS: Graduate nursing students perceived they possessed positive caring characters while their professional identity was at a low level. A significant positive correlation was found between the Nursing Caring Characters Assessment Tool and Professional Identity Scale for Nursing Students. CONCLUSION: Graduate nursing students' professional identity was not satisfactory and one strategy to improve this is to internalize caring into the education process. Nursing educators should focus more on the formation of the students' professional identity and caring as a contributing factor to it.