Professional Identity, Educator Competence Perception and Willingness to Engage in Geriatric Nursing Among Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

AIM: To investigate the interrelationships of professional identity, educator competence perception and willingness to engage in geriatric nursing among Chinese nursing students.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study design.

METHODS

This study involved a cross-sectional descriptive study. A total of 842 nursing students enrolled in online learning were included in this study. We used the Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nursing Students (PIQNS), the Gerontological Nurse Teacher Scale (GeNTS), and the Willingness Engaging in Aged Nursing Scale (WEANS) to measure levels of PI, educator competence perception and willingness to engage in geriatric nursing. The structural equation model and bootstrap method were used to identify the association and interaction among the three variables.

RESULTS

The scores of nursing students' PI, educator competence perception and willingness to engage in geriatric nursing were (59.77 ± 10.85), (111.70 ± 19.42), and (71.71 ± 11.17), respectively. After adjusting for age, gender, and academic year, PI was positively associated with educator competence perception (β = 0.70, p < 0.001), and educator competence perception was positively associated with willingness to engage in geriatric nursing (β = 0.33, p < 0.001). In a cross-sectional mediational model, educator competence perception accounted for an indirect association between PI and willingness (standardised indirect effect = 0.230, 95% bootstrap CI [0.164, 0.296]); after model adjustment and controlling for age, gender, and grade, the final structural model yielded good fit (χ2/df = 2.954, p < 0.001, GFI = 0.961, TLI = 0.977, CFI = 0.983, NFI = 0.975, RMSEA = 0.048).

CONCLUSION

Professional identity of nursing students and perceived educator competence are positively associated with students' willingness to engage in geriatric nursing. Educational interventions may focus on these areas to address the growing need for geriatric care professionals.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.