Meaning of Professionalism in Nursing Students

Abstract

Nursing training is grounded in theoretical and clinical training. The study was conducted to determine the experiences of nursing students regarding professionalism in applications. A total of 103 nursing students was determined by using the maximum diversity sampling. The data were collected by using the document narrative method, which is among the qualitative research methods. The content analysis method was used in the data evaluation. As a result of the analysis, seven themes were determined regarding the experiences of students. The second question regarding the meaning of professionalism in nursing revealed seven themes. Considering the answers to two questions being asked in the study, a parallelism was determined between the professionalism perceptions of students and conditions where they felt like professionals. The common themes for both questions were determined to include behaving according to ethical principles and being well-informed. Awareness of trainers, nurses and other team members regarding the importance of their roles, their relations with students and status as a role model and organization of the clinical environment will contribute to the professional identitydevelopment.