A Study to Assess the Professional Socialization Perceived by the Basic B.Sc. Nursing Graduates Employed in the Selected Nursing Teaching Institutes of Gujarat State

The current shortage of registered nurses will most likely continue, exacerbated by the increased health care needs of the baby boomers as they approach retirement, the aging of the nursing workforce, and increased employment opportunities for women1. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) reported that the Bureau of Labour Statistics announced a need for a potential million new nurses by 2010. To address this shortage, colleges and universities nationwide investigated creative ways to attract students to nursing; and B. Sc. nursing programs. These baccalaureate nursing programs which is in existence. Basic B.Sc. Nursing students carry heavy course loads in addition to completing required clinical practice hours to meet the same prelicensure requirements2. Basic B.Sc. Nursing programs are attractive to individuals for variety of reasons like employment opportunities, short time frame for program completion, and financial security etc. Many B.Sc. Nursing students enter in to nursing because they are unable to find employment in their other field of their study, have worked for companies that have downsized, or have identified within themselves the need to work with other human beings instead of engaging in technical occupations.3 Students are exposed to nursing values during the nursing program as they observe the behavior of the nursing faculty. Found in the Code of Ethics for Nurses, these values focus on the nurse-client relationship and represent the "fundamental values and commitments of the nurse" as well address the "duty and loyalty of the nurse". Socialization begins upon entry into the nursing program and continues with entry into the workforce. Professional socialization, however, is ongoing, a facet of lifelong learning. Through the development of the affective domain, professional socialization occurs; however, nursing literature focuses on socialization primarily from the perspective of cognitive and psychomotor aspects instead of the affective aspect of being a nurse.4 But can B.Sc. Nursing students become socialized into nursing in 4-5 Years? Dr. G. Meyer voiced this concern at St. Louis University, where the first B.Sc. Nursing program originated in the early 1970s. Dr. Meyer stated, "There are so many pieces in nursing; it's learning to know, it's learning to do, it's learning to be socialized into a profession". Studying socialization from the affective perspective allowed for determination whether the development of professional identity, specifically the feeling of being a nurse, was possible in Basic B.Sc. Nursing program.