Belonging is an influential factor in the process of professional identity of nursing students: A qualitative study

Background & Objective: The professional identity of nursing students was defined as the primary trend in becoming a profession. The present study aimed to explore the factors affecting students' professional identity as nurses. Materials & Methods: This Study is a qualitative content analysis from May 2019 to October 2020. The participants were contributed through purposefully sampling. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. The duration of each interview was between 30 and 60 minutes. Interviews continued until data saturation. Data analysis was performed simultaneously with Graneheim and Lundman approach. Results: 123 open codes with five subcategories and two categories were extracted. In the present study, "belongingness" was explained as the central theme. Two categories, "positive role model in the education process" and "The perception of the society towards the nursing profession," were explored. Conclusion: The present results showed that the identification of nursing students is influenced by belonging influenced by the nursing community and the general community. In addition, the community’s appreciation of the nursing profession and the approval and respect for the nursing profession among the community members have been considered crucial factors for nursing students to become good nurses. Due to the importance of growing a belonging and better understanding of professional identity by nursing students in the educational period, the development of teachers’ abilities as a model and creating a platform for recognizing the professional identity of nursing among community and medical science students is recommended.