Professional Identity in Nursing: A Narrative Review of the ISPIN Definition and Domains Usage

Established in 2020, the International Society for Professional Identity in Nursing (ISPIN) developed a definition of professional identity in nursing (PIN). This definition encompasses four domains: values and ethics, knowledge, nurse as leader, and professional comportment.

This narrative review aimed to summarize and synthesize identified published evidence, the extent of discussion of PIN domains, and literature gaps for the ISPIN definition of PIN.

Sources included peer-reviewed literature published between 2018 to 2025 from CINAHL and PubMed. Gray literature through Google Scholar and ISPIN archived publications were also searched. These were identified by two researchers and a PRISMA flow diagram was developed. No registered protocol was utilized. Search and MeSH terms included "professional identity," "nurs*," and "ISPIN."

Thirty-seven articles met inclusion criteria and were extracted from 16,295 initially identified articles, with the majority with authors from the United States. There were very few research papers and a noticeable dearth using quantitative methodologies. Twenty-eight of the retrieved articles were considered expert accounts, conceptual discussion or opinions, common for a relatively new concept.

Nurse as leader was discussed in 34 of 37 articles. Professional comportment was discussed in 31 articles. Both knowledge and value and ethics were discussed in 28 articles.

This narrative review highlights the nature and prevalence of the ISPIN definitions and its four domains in current literature and can be visualized through diagramming. Minimal quantitative studies and a higher volume of discussion articles present limitations to its strength and applicability. Results suggests the need for further research in all domains, particularly in knowledge and values and ethics, and its implications in strengthening nursing practice and education.