A qualitative study on nursing professionalism: safeguarding life through a conceptual model

The aim of this study was to clarify and develop a conceptual framework for nursing professionalism.

Nursing professionalism serves as a guide for nurses in all aspects of their work. Nurses with strong professionalism are key to safeguarding the health of all people. However, the concept of nursing professionalism remains ambiguous.

This study used Charmaz's Constructing Grounded Theory. Thirty-eight participants, including nursing students, clinical nurses, nursing managers, doctors and patients in China, were interviewed from May 2021 to August 2022. We used purposeful sampling and theoretical sampling. By exploring stakeholders' understanding of the concept of nursing professionalism, the researchers clarified its conceptual components.

The conceptual framework of nursing professionalism encompasses four components: altruism, dedication, caring, and professional competence. Altruism includes putting patients-first and benefiting others. Dedication includes sacrifice, patience, tolerance, and expecting nothing in return. Caring reflects reverence for life, empathy, compassion, and concern. Professional competence includes sensitivity, responsibility, excellence, self-discipline, and collaboration.

This study clarifies the conceptual framework of nursing professionalism, providing guidance for cultivating professional values in nursing education and clinical practice. The framework also enables the development of precise assessment tools to systematically evaluate nursing professionalism.