“I Will Be a nurse

” Identity and Belongingness in Nursing School

Bibliographic Data

ID21617328
AuthorsPaula Hopeck (0000-0003-3858-3742, Department of Communication Studies, Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania at Bloomsburg, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume40
Issue1
Pages103-113
Publication date2025-01-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHealth Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1041-0236 • E-ISSN: 1532-7027
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10410236.2024.2334087
PMID38567511
OpenAlexW4393901764
LanguageEN
References cited36

A nursing shortage is anticipated within the next decade. Knowing what factors draw individuals to the field of nursing and help them finish their degree is important for recruitment to nursing school, but what is equally important is knowing how individuals connect and see themselves in the field of nursing. One of the contributions of health communication is examining the processes of identity formation in nursing school to determine how they construct their years of nursing school. Using Qualitative Longitudinal Research (QLR) and the model of communication and identity, the research presented in this article examines the experiences of nursing students (n = 32) at one university. The research summarizes the phases of identity that can be characterized as three distinct stages of getting in, scrubbing in, and fitting in. The research also highlights what helps students stay with nursing, feel like they belong to the field, and how this can be translated into communicating what potential nurses need to succeed

Belongingness · Economic shortage · Nurse education · Nursing shortage · Qualitative research · Sociology · Communication in Education and Healthcare · Computer Science · Emotional Labor in Professions · Medicine · Nursing · Nursing education and management · Psychology · Social Psychology

Tools

Open DOI