PROFESSIONAL SELF-CONCEPT OF NURSES - A COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF 4 STRATAOF NURSING-STUDENTS IN A CANADIAN UNIVERSITY

This study represents an effort to refine our understanding of measure ment of professional self-concept by testing a tool across various str ata of nursing students. The Professional Self Concept of Nurses Instr ument, developed in studies of Australian nursing students, was applie d to samples of basic undergraduate, post-basic and graduate students in a Canadian university nursing programme. The findings suggest that the tool is sensitive to the predictable development of professional s elf-concept as students advance through professional education, especi ally in the dimensions of professional practice and satisfaction. The authors propose that the instrument may have specific applications in evaluating the effects of traditional and innovative educational strat egies upon the evolution of professional self-concept in nurses.