The Relationships of the Clinical Practice Stress and the Major Satisfaction with the Nursing Professionalism of Nursing College Students

Abstract

Abstract The present study investigates the relationships between clinical practice stress, major satisfaction, and nursing professionalism in nursing students, and aims to explore the direction of nursing education for the establishment of exemplary nursing professionalism in nursing college students. This correlational study involved 210 third- and fourth-year nursing students with clinical practice experience. Data were collected from April 1 to May 30, 2014. Data were analyzed using t-tests, correlation analyses, and regression analyses with SPSS Program 20.0. Also, AMOS were used for confirmatory factor analysis. Stress in clinical practice explained 30% of the variance in satisfaction with one’s major, and was the strongest predictor of nursing professionalism, explaining 53% of the variance in the same. The results show the need for educational interventions to enhance students’ perceived value of and satisfaction with nursing, as well as for structured and systematic educational programs that consider individual characteristics.