Professional identity in nursing: Why it is important in graduate education

Brenda Douglass, Sharon L. Stager, Kathy Shaw, Amy Hite, Susan Solecki, Julie Stanik-Hutt, Gillian Tufts

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Possessing a clear identity in nursing is a guiding principle to professional comportment. In graduate nursing education, transitioning and expanding one's professional identity requires role evolution. Nurses transitioning into the advanced professional nursing role shifts their thinking to a new level. The Conceptual Model of Professional Identity in Nursing constitutes how values and ethics, knowledge, nurse as a leader, and professional comportment are intertwined. Competency-based education requires curricular redesign. The Essentials Tool Kit aligns The Essentials with learning activities to support competency-based curriculum and assessment. The Douglass and Stager Toolkit intertwines these resources for graduate nursing educators to inform professional identity in nursing for curriculum revisions. This article aims to illustrate how faculty educate graduate nursing students in the development of professional identity using a conceptual framework to achieve competencies outlined in The Essentials (AACN, 2021).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)50-55
Number of pages6
JournalJournal of Professional Nursing
Volume52
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1 2024

Keywords

  • Advanced nursing roles
  • Competency-based education
  • Graduate nursing education
  • Professional identity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Nursing

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