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Factors Influencing Professional Identity in Intern Nursing Students after
COVID-19 Full Liberalization in China: A Cross-sectional Study

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T. Yuan, Y. Sun, W. Xu, X. Li, and N. Sansiriphun 4
School of Nursing, Wannan Medical College, China, Department of Graduate School, Wannan
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Medical College, China, Department of Gerontology, Yijishan Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of
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Wannan Medical College, China, and Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted established nursing education and clinical
placements. After the full liberalization of COVID-19 in China, experiencing distance learning, working
in high-risk settings, and not having received specialty training on COVID-19, another peak of infection
strikes, and students’ professional identity may fluctuate or even disintegrate.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the level of professional identity and associated
factors of Chinese nurse interns after the full liberalization of COVID-19.

Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was performed from January 14th to January 21 ,
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2023. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, COVID-19 and internship-related
questionnaires, the Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nursing Students, the Connor-Davidson
resilience scale, and the Fear of COVID-19 scale to conduct the online survey. Data analysis was
performed using Generalized linear model (GLM) analysis at a significance level of 0.05.

Results: Of 436 participants, (88.3%) tested positive for COVID-19 recently. The mean score of
professional identity of nursing students was (53.98±11.36). The prevalence of fear, and resilience,
was 25.6%, 15.5%, and 11.2% respectively. Family support (P =0.001), continuing to work as a nurse after
graduation (P<0.001), working with an experienced team (P=0.012), and having higher resilience
Oral Presentation Abstracts
(<0.001) were significantly and positively associated with higher professional identity scores in nursing
internship students.

Conclusion: The professional identity score of intern nursing students decreased after COVID-19
full liberalization in China. Our findings suggest that intern nursing students should be provided with
adequate family support, collaboration with an experienced team, coping knowledge and skills
training, and enhancement of their psychological resilience issues.

Keywords: professional identity, COVID-19, Fear, intern nursing student, China, psychological
resilience

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Correspondence: Nantaporn Sansiriphun, Faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
E-mail: nantaporn.san@cmu.ac.th

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