Subgroups of perceived professional preparedness of senior nursing students and their differences in professional identity: a latent profile analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background Senior nursing students’ perceptions of their professional preparedness help them perform their nursing role confidently and independently in the future. Therefore, it is critical to both identify the classification features of perceived professional preparedness and develop targeted interventions. Professional identity (PI) may contribute to cultivating the nursing students’ perceptions of professional preparedness, but the relationship between the two is unclear currently. This study aims to explore the subgroups of senior nursing students’ perceptions of professional preparedness and their differences in PI. Method This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 319 senior nursing students from five universities in China were enrolled. The Perceived Professional Preparedness of Senior Nursing Students’ Questionnaire (PPPNS) and the Professional Identity Scale for Nursing Students (PISNS) were adopted. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to analyze the latent profiles of perceived professional preparedness among senior nursing students. Multiple logistic regression was applied to explore the predictors of different profiles, and a one-way analysis of variance was conducted to compare the PI scores in each latent profile. Result Three latent profiles were identified and labeled “low perceived professional preparedness” (n = 90, 28.2%), “low clinical competency-low EBP(Evidence-Based Practice)” (n = 190, 59.5%) and “high perceived professional preparedness” (n = 39, 12.2%). The “low perceived professional preparedness” group was less likely to include those senior nursing students who worked more than 7 hours per day during the clinical practicum, resided in town and urban areas, had part-time experience, had good relationships with classmates, and felt nobility to nursing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The average PI score was statistically different across the three profiles (F = 54.69, p < 0.001). Conclusion Promoting PI may effectively cultivate the perceived professional preparedness of senior nursing students. This study highlights the importance of targeted interventions by considering their distinct perceptions of professional preparedness patterns.