Exploring How New Registered Nurses Construct Professional Identity in Hospital Settings
- 1 June 2008
- journal article
- Published by SLACK, Inc. in Journal of continuing education in nursing
- Vol. 39 (6), 255-262
- https://doi.org/10.3928/00220124-20080601-03
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.Keywords
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