Learning to be a Nurse. Professional Identity in Nursing Students

The main aim of this article is to present particular aspects which have been referred to by research-based literature as being important to the understanding of how nursing students structure their professional identity. These elements have emerged from a theoretical research study, prior to the current investigation, (under the PhD in Education Sciences, in the specialized Adult Education area of the FPCE-UL) on the professional identity construction process experienced and described by nursing students throughout their basic training. Up to now, three main theoretical dimensions have emerged: The professional identities of the nursing profession itself and its construction process from a historical perspective; the discourses and practices in the context of teaching nursing and the experience of the nursing students. Finally, some aspects related to the methodology and carrying out of the study have also been mentioned.