The influence of professional identity on the process of nurses' training: an empirical study

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the relationship between professional identity and the training of nurses in the context of change. Specifically, this study aims to focus on two research questions: first, how do nurses experience their professional identity? Second, will professional training have an effect on nurses' developing identity? Design/methodology/approach Data were obtained from 173 nurses in a Portuguese hospital. Respondents had to evaluate the degree of importance they gave to several variables about professional identity and training. For data analysis and reliability, the variables were classified using factor analysis. Subsequently, the retained factors and variables underwent multiple regression analysis. Findings Results indicate that nurses consider they have their own identity, which differentiates them from other health professionals, although they feel their work still lacks socio‐professional recognition, which hinders their autonomous intervention within the multi‐disciplinary team. Research limitations/implications The sample for the study was self‐selected from one hospital, which may limit the generalization of some of the findings and points to the need to resort to larger samples. This study allowed the formation of some measures that can contribute to the value and benefits of nurses' professional training in the Portuguese health system. Originality/value Research on professional identity has been relatively scarce. Taking into account the relevance of the research topic for the nursing profession, the study's findings show that identity is of some consequence in nurses' professional training.