Abstract
This qualitative study used a hermeneutic phenomenological design to investigate the lived experience of becoming a professional nurse for associate degree nursing graduates. The study looked specifically at the process of acquiring a professional identity for associate degree nursing graduates. The theoretical frameworks of structural functionalism and reference group theory provided the lens which guided the study. Structural functionalism is a sociological perspective describing how groups reproduce themselves by creating members whose behaviors and values correspond to the established group norms. A reference group is the social group which an individual uses to define attitudes, beliefs, and values which the individual wishes to emulate and join. Semi-structured interviews were used to learn the essence of being socialized into the profession of nursing and taking on a professional nursing identity for the participants.
Sigma Membership
Psi Pi
Type
Dissertation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Phenomenology
Research Approach
Qualitative Research
Keywords:
Professional Identity Development, Nursing Students, Socialization, Associated Degree Nursing Graduates, Professional Identity
Advisor
Daniele Flannery
Second Advisor
Patricia A. Cranton
Third Advisor
Samuel W. Monismith
Fourth Advisor
Dennis R. Lott
Degree
Doctoral-Other
Degree Grantor
The Pennsylvania State University
Degree Year
2007
Recommended Citation
Hershey, Jean L., "The lived experience of becoming a professional nurse for associate degree nursing graduates: A phenomenological study" (2021). Dissertations. 500.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/dissertations/500
Rights Holder
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Review Type
None: Degree-based Submission
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2021-09-29
Full Text of Presentation
wf_yes
Description
This dissertation has also been disseminated through the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. Dissertation/thesis number: 3284936; ProQuest document ID: 304828366. The author still retains copyright.