Developing a Self-Concept of Nurse in Baccalaureate Nursing Students

Nursing is a profession and a social phenomenon. Developing a concept of oneself as a professional nurse is a process of socialization and a critical outcome of a nursing program of study. This process is a key concern of nurse educators who design learning experiences as part of the educational program. The purpose of this paper is to describe a grounded theory investigation into the process of developing a self-concept of nurse in baccalaureate nursing students. The grounded theory that emerged from this inquiry was "Building on a Foundation of Knowledge by 'Taking it All In.'" This foundation is built upon in small portions at a time with knowledge gleaned from a variety of sources. Nurse educators, found to be a source of knowledge, can take specific steps to deliberately embellish the foundation and appreciate the significance of the contributions of other sources of knowledge in developing the self-concept of nurse.