Explaining Professionalism and Professional Socialization Process in Nursing Students

Professional socialization is the process of accepting professional roles. Nursing students can undergo a transition from a student role to a professional nurse by gaining learning experiences and acquiring the necessary competencies of the profession. Accordingly, this study was conducted to explain the understanding of nursing students about the process of professional socialization. The present qualitative study was conducted using the conventional content analysis method. The participants included 18 students who were selected using purposive sampling. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman’s qualitative content analysis method. The analysis of the data led to the identification of one main theme and three subthemes. The core theme that emerged in this study was acquiring socialization skills and the subthemes included mental images and professional expectations, social status and professional values, and professional accountability and teamwork. These themes illustrate the participants’ perception of professional socialization. The findings showed that from the perspective of students, mental images and professional expectations as well as professional values and teamwork cause a sense of calmness, confidence, and professional belonging in them and improve their social responsiveness.