Evaluating the formation of professional identity in Iranian nursing students after implementation of a new curriculum

Context: The nursing education program in Iran has been reformed over the past years with the aim of enhancing the moral capabilities and formation of positive professional identity in graduated nurses.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the degree of formation of professional identity in nursing students in Iran. Setting and Design: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Two hundred and twenty-one students studying in the last three semesters were selected using convenience sampling.

Materials and Methods: The Professional Identity Scale for nursing students was used for data gathering. The questionnaire was translated into Persian by the forward-backward translation method. The study was conducted in 2017 in three of Iran’s capital’s nursing and midwifery school.

Statistical Analysis Used: The data were analyzed using independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and linear regression.

Results: The mean age of the subjects was 23. 15 ± 2.71 years and 50.7% of them were female. The average score for professional identity was 55.61 ± 12.75, and the score for professional self-image was 20.68 ± 4.82; the benefit of retention and risk of turnover was 11.94 ± 3.70; social comparison and self-reflection was 10.06 ± 2.50; independence of career choice 6.80 ± 1.82; and social modeling 6.42 ± 2.30.

Conclusion: The average score of professional identity was higher than half of the expected score, but it was lower than the maximum score. The nursing education program in Iran failed to advantageously shape the professional identity of nursing students.