a b s t r a c t
This research explored the perceptions of third-year undergraduate nursing students in Italy in relation
to the perceptions they had about factors that promoted or diminished the development of professional
identity and the professional respect in themselves, and in nursing during their clinical training. Clinical
training was meaningful to develop specific knowledge, communication skills, and interpersonal and
inter-professional relationships in the area considered. It was also found to be equally important to have
good role models to foster the moral development and build a solid professional identity for nursing
students. Building a professional identity is an ongoing process and depends on social contexts and on
the students' development of the ability to act morally. In this framework, student nurses have to be
strongly supported to develop their identity as moral agents in spite of the conflicting demands on them
in hostile settings that often do not make them feel respected for their actions. Based on our evidence, we
identified two conceptual areas: positive role models and supportive working environments; both have
to be strongly connected each other if the student nurses have to develop a strong respect for the ethical
values of their profession.
ISSN:
1471-5953
eISSN:
1471-5953
Description:
Nurse Education in Practice enables lecturers and practitioners to both share and disseminate evidence that demonstrates the actual practice of education as it is experienced in the realities of their respective work environments, that is both in the University/faculty and clinical settings. It is supportive of new authors and is at the forefront in publishing individual and collaborative papers that demonstrate the link between education and practice.