A Qualitative Study On The Formation Process Of Professional Perception Of Undergraduate Nursing Students

Objective The study aims to explore the formation process of undergraduate nursing students’ perception of nursing so as to enhance the understanding of the professional perception of undergraduate nursing students for relevant departments and nursing educators and provide theoretical reference for them to take relevant measures.Methods Based on symbolic interactionism, the study adopted constructive grounded theory methodology. Purposive sampling and theoretical sampling were used to recruit participants who are undergraduate nursing students and practicing at class C grade A hospitals in Zhejiang. Face to face in-depth interviews were conducted to collect data, and interview notes were written. The data were analyzed by initial coding, focused coding, theoretical coding, the constant comparative method and memo writing, etc. Finally, the theoretical explanation about the formation process of undergraduate nursing students’ professional perception was obtained.Results The core category of this study was "making an effort to accept", which meant that respondents tried to accept the nursing profession constantly from the stage of filling applications for college entrance examinations to clinical practice stage, it mainly included four stages:"lack of understanding", "questioning choice", "difficulty to give up", "trying to accept". The respondents did not know the nursing profession fully and most of them were not quite willing to choose and accept it before they went to the university. Respondents suspect whether their choices were correct or not when they knew more about the bad aspects of nursing after they went to university. They would like to give up, but they felt that it was difficult, as a result, they had to try very hard to accept nursing. However, their acceptances were always temporarily. When they went through unpleasant experience, they would fall into the cycle of "questioning choice"-"difficulty to give up"-"trying to accept" again.Conclusion The theoretical explanation about the formation process of undergraduate nursing students’ professional perception is obtained in this study. Undergraduate nursing students try constantly to accept the nursing profession, it mainly include four stages:"lack of understanding", "questioning choice", "difficulty to give up", "trying to accept" and the last three stages were in a cycle.