A distinctive profession? Building professional identity and knowledge for intellectual disability nursing education

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Professional Identity Development
• Specialty Nursing

Background:

• Intellectual disability nursing students often struggle with professional identity and curriculum integration.
• Understanding the unique principles and boundaries of intellectual disability nursing is crucial for effective education and practice.
• The relationship between intellectual disability nursing and general nursing requires further examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the organizing principles of intellectual disability nursing using Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA).
• To explore the relationship and boundaries between intellectual disability nursing and general nursing.
• To investigate how theoretical access differs for intellectual disability nursing students compared to general nursing peers.

Main Methods:

• Application of Legitimation Code Theory (LCT) to analyze the knowledge structures in intellectual disability nursing.
• Utilization of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine the language and relationships within the nursing field.
• Comparative analysis of theoretical access for intellectual disability nursing students versus general nursing students.

Main Results:

• Identified key organizing principles differentiating intellectual disability nursing from general nursing.
• Clarified the connections and boundaries established between intellectual disability nursing and general nursing.
• Highlighted differences in how theory is accessed and facilitated for students in each nursing division.

Conclusions:

• Findings contribute to strengthening the professional identity of intellectual disability nurses.
• Provides insights into building a robust knowledge base for intellectual disability nursing.
• Recommendations for enhancing curriculum and support for intellectual disability nursing students.