Title : Fostering professional identity formation in first-semester graduate nursing education students
Abstract:
Professional identity formation has many facets. Firstly, Landis et al., (2024) simply stated that professional identity formation is the transitioning from one role to another. In the case of graduate students in a nursing education program, at the end of their three-year program, they are transitioning from bedside nurse to nurse educator in institution service lines or academia. Additionally, professional identity formation is fostered by the socialization and transformation that comes from collaboration with professional nurse educators during their graduate program. Lastly, this socialization process is deepened by the understanding of professional identity concepts, attitudes, and behaviours demonstrated in professional nurse educators. Beginning the professional identity process early in the nursing education graduate program enhances their transition to the nursing educator role. This seamless transition benefits future students, learners, and institutions that utilize the nurse educator role and have a nursing education graduate program. This presentation will discuss an assignment implemented in the University of Rochester, School of Nursing graduate program in nursing education. First semester students enrolled in the first semester Foundations of Teaching and Learning in Nursing Education were charged with the task of identifying professional identity formation behaviours in graduating nursing education students. Specifically, first semester students attended the final summative presentation of the graduating master’s in nursing education students. First semester students had the opportunity to use Halversen et al., (2022) Attributes of Professional Identity in Nursing to compare behaviors and attributes observed in the graduating nursing students. Moreover, this assignment provided an opportunity for first semester graduate students to collaborate with the final semester students and witness the transformation in their professional nursing educator identity.
