Relationship Between Professional Identity Levels with the Forming Factors Among Students from General Practice Nursing Studies at Lithuanian Colleges

Abstract

Vocational training at Colleges is grounded with the integration of the theory and practice. Training of students from the general practie nursing study programmes is directed not only by the documentation of the Ministry of Education and Science of the republic of Lithuania, but by the guidelines and directives of the European Union, where is indicated that practice should const not less than 50 percent of the general study length. Researchers, who study the processes of professional identity (self)development and the factors, which infleunce this development, accentuate the imortne of the integration between theory and practice and indicate that in theoretical and practical studies students develop their professional identity. Research subject is the professional identity levels among students from General practic study nursing programmes at Lithuanian Colleges. Aim is to highlight the relationship between the professional identity levels and their forming factors among students from general practice study programmes at Lithuanian Colleges. Research questins are the following:What are the factors, which form the (self)development of professional identity? In which levels of professional identity are students from general practice study programmes at Lithuanian Colleges. In research participated 246 students, who represent the second study year students from General practic study nursing programmes at Lithuanian Colleges. Sampling was purposeful. The research had been performed on March-April 2013, when thee students completed the part of the special study subjects, and had study practices in the first study year. Results highlighted that the bigest part of the sample are in strong position of the professional identity moratorium. The most important factors, which influence positively the development of the professional (self)identity, according to research participants, are the professional readiness of teachers in nursing, their relationships with patients and the health care personnel. The strength of the professional (self)identity of students is colsely related with the nursing experience of teachers, their cooperatoin with patients and health care personnel. doi:10.5200/sm-hs.2013.099