Impact of Career Readiness Levels on Professional Identity in Nursing

In nursing education, career readiness and professional identity are regarded as key factors influencing students' career development. Previous studies have suggested that their interaction contributes to effective career formation. Therefore, this study examined differences in professional identity between nursing students with high and low levels of career readiness.

This analytical cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among 329 first- to fourth-year male and female nursing students enrolled in a four-year program at Hirosaki University in Hirosaki, Japan. The Career Readiness Scale-Short Version (CRS-S) and the Professional Identity Scale for Medical University Students were used. A total of 157 valid responses were analyzed (valid response rate: 47.7%). Participants were divided into high- and low-score groups for each subscale of the Career Readiness Scale, and differences in the four professional identity factors were compared between groups using Mann-Whitney U tests, and associations were examined using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient.

For Occupational Career Concern (OCC), students in the high career readiness group showed significantly higher median scores than those in the low group across all professional identity items, including confidence in choosing a healthcare profession (p < 0.001), establishment of a professional self-concept (p < 0.001), pride in being needed as a healthcare professional (p < 0.01), and orientation toward social contribution (p < 0.01). Overall, career readiness levels were positively correlated with all professional identity factors (p < 0.01). In the low Occupational Career Autonomy (OCA) group, positive correlations were observed for the establishment of a professional self-concept (rs = 0.733, p < 0.01) and confidence in choosing a healthcare profession (rs = 0.543, p < 0.05). Additionally, Life Career Planning (LCP) was positively correlated with the establishment of a professional self-concept (rs = 0.530, p < 0.01).

Nursing students with higher career readiness tended to exhibit a professional identity, particularly in terms of their sense of social contribution as future healthcare professionals. Among students with lower career readiness, associations with professional identity were limited. OCA was linked to pride in choosing the healthcare profession and to the formation of personal views on healthcare, whereas LCP was related only to the formation of personal views on healthcare. These findings suggest that differences in the level of career readiness promote the development of professional identity in nursing education.