Graduate entry nursing students' development of professional nursing self: A longitudinal case study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Professional Identity Development
• Graduate Entry Programs

Background:

• Graduate-entry nursing students transition rapidly into the healthcare workforce.
• Nursing values, knowledge, and skills shape professional identity.
• Understanding the development of the professional nursing self is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how graduate entry nursing students develop a sense of self as a nurse.
• To investigate how students articulate this sense of self in their thinking, speaking, and actions.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal case study design.
• 21 graduate entry nursing students across four institutions in Australia and New Zealand.
• Semi-structured interviews conducted up to four times over three years (2020-2023).
• Interpretive Description methodology for thematic analysis.

Main Results:

• Three key themes emerged: 'Situating the self in nursing' (purpose and belonging), 'Influences on professional identity' (mentorship and connection), and 'Emerging professional identity' (nursing self and self-care).
• Students' sense of self evolved through aligning personal and professional values.
• Meaningful connections and a sense of purpose were central to identity development.

Conclusions:

• Graduate entry nursing students' professional identity is shaped by aligning values, finding purpose, and leveraging their unique contributions ('graduateness').
• The influence of experienced nurses and the creation of psychologically safe environments are vital for student and early-career nurse development.
• Fostering supportive professional environments from educational programs onward is essential.