Development of the self-concept of nurse in nursing students

The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to determine if components of nursing students' self-concepts change as they progress through their educational program. The subjects were 132 generic nursing students enrolled in the baccalaureate nursing program at a small midwestern college; they were stratified by grade level (sophomore, junior, and senior). Chi-square analysis of responses to the Twenty Statements Test indicate no significant difference in self-concept by levels as measured by the number of consensual and subconsensual responses, and no significant difference by levels in the number of primary nursing references. The preponderance of subconsensual over consensual responses at all three grade levels was an unexpected finding that has implications for nursing education.