Professional Identity of Municipal Public Health Nurses and Related Factors

Abstract

Purpose: To identify factors that can strengthen the professional identity of municipal public health nurses.

Method: A questionnaire survey was conducted targeting public health nurses working in municipalities without health centres across six prefectures of the Kanto region. The survey included the professional identity scale for public health nurses (Negishi et al., 2010)，along with personal, external, physical, and psychological factors. A total of 400 copies of questionnaire were distributed to 36 municipalities that had agreed to cooperate. A bivariate analysis was conducted, followed by a multiple regression analysis (stepwise method).

Results: Of the 195 copies collected (response rate of 48.8％)，180 (valid response rate of 92.3％) were analysed. The mean score on the scale was 134.9 (SD±19.3)，and R² adjusted for the degree of freedom was 0.469. The multiple regression analysis showed significant associations for five items: “strong motivation for public health nurses activities,” “conviction as public health nurses,” “work position,” “marital status,” and “overall life satisfaction.”

Discussion: It was inferred that municipal public health nurses can strengthen their professional identity when they realise that their professional and personal lives are integrated. This integration can be fostered by increasing their motivation and conviction through work reflection and training sessions, personal growth through interactions with various people, and fulfilment of work responsibilities to enrich their lives.