title: Developing a self-concept of nurse in baccalaureate nursing students.
abstract: Nursing is a profession and a social phenomenon. Developing a concept of oneself as a professional nurse is a process of socialization and a critical outcome of a nursing program of study. This process is a key concern of nurse educators who design learning experiences as part of the educational program. The purpose of this paper is to describe a grounded theory investigation into the process of developing a self-concept of nurse in baccalaureate nursing students. The grounded theory that emerged from this inquiry was "Building on a Foundation of Knowledge by 'Taking it All In.'" This foundation is built upon in small portions at a time with knowledge gleaned from a variety of sources. Nurse educators, found to be a source of knowledge, can take specific steps to deliberately embellish the foundation and appreciate the significance of the contributions of other sources of knowledge in developing the self-concept of nurse.
authors.affiliation: Alcorn State University. sarahware@cableone.net
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Ware
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015279:Organizational Culture; D012649:Self Concept; D012951:Socialization; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*