Becoming a Nurse: Student Experience of Transformation and Professional Identity

Abstract

Nursing education programs are designed to respond to the evolving requirements of nursing practice while supporting student transformation in becoming a nurse. Students in these programs often refer to them as academically challenging and stressful. The aim of this study was to understand the experience of nursing students compared to the general university student population and specifically, to explore if nursing students are perceiving more stress than students in other university programs. This study arises from an earlier study conducted annually for 4 years at a western Canadian university following the method referred to as the Harvard Assessment Seminar (Light, 2001). In the primary study, that is the study conducted annually for 4 years, random samples of university students were interviewed about their university experience; these samples included bachelor of nursing students. The study reported in this paper is a secondary analysis of the primary study’s data and explores the unique experience of nursing students within the context of the broader university community. A total of 358 semi-structured interviews comprised the data for the primary study. Of these interviews, 64 respondents (18%) were registered in the bachelor of nursing program. A directed content analysis technique was used to extend the existing research by using pre-existing coding categories and allowing other themes to emerge that appeared unique to nursing students. The overarching theme that emerged from the secondary data was “becoming a registered nurse (RN) through the experience of being a student.” Three thematic clusters characterized the undergraduate nursing student’s journey of transformation to becoming a registered nurse: learning through experience; recognizing the link between theory and practice; and transition and transformation. A key finding of the study is that the nursing student experience is fundamental to becoming a registered nurse. Through learning and practice experiences a transformation in personal identity takes place. Nursing faculty can support learning through experiences that foster transition and transformation. Nursing students experience stress. The difference between nursing students and undergraduate students in general is the focus of their stress: volume of work, readiness for practice, and their capacity, capability, and worthiness to fulfill the nursing role, along with their perceptions of balancing their study–work–personal life. The direct measurement of the amount of stress in nursing students and undergraduate students in general was not possible. This research study will add to the literature by describing the student nursing experience in undergraduate education as compared to the general university population. In addition, the authors provide recommendations for nurse educators that support successful student transition to becoming a nurse.