PROFESSIONAL AND EXTRA- PROFESSIONAL FACTORS AFFECTING PROFESSIONAL SOCIALIZATION OF IRANIAN STUDENT NURSES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

A lot of various factors influence professional socialization of nursing students.
Consistency and compatibility between the expectations of these factors facilitate the socialization
process. This paper aimed to report part of a main study, and it introduces the factors and the
conditions affecting professional socialization of Iranian BSN students.
Materials & Methods: The data were collected from 12 BSN students in two large nursing and
midwifery schools and two new graduated students. In-depth semi-structured individual interviews
were conducted with a purposive sample of participants during their clinical placements and after
graduation. The data were analyzed using the Straussian version (1998) of grounded theory method
and the technique of constant comparative analysis.
Results: Professional (educational settings, educational programs and human factors such as
educators, care providers, patients and classmates) and extra-professional (society, media, family,
friends and personal predispositions) factors and conditions abstracted and introduced as the context
and structure affecting the professional socialization of nursing students. The impact of professional
factors with varying degrees on professional socialization of students was generally direct and
obvious throughout the educational course. Extra-Professional factors had often indirect and hidden
influence starting before the initiation of the course and eased up over the years.
Conclusion: The study findings showed that the socialization of the students rested on the direct or
indirect effects of the professional and extra-professional factors. The interaction between the students
and these factors determined their socialization in the nursing profession