The Relationship between Quality of Occupational Experience and Identity, Occupational Identity, Resilience among nurses with less than three years of experiences

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to identify occupational identity as a nurse, resilience, and ego identity among nurses under three years of experience, as well as the relationship between these variables and quality of occupational experience.

Methods: The study participants were 950 nurses with less than three years of experience working across 39 hospitals and had obtained the permission of the nursing manager to participate in this study. The data were collected through anonymous self-administered questionnaires that included questions on basic attributes, Scale of Occupational Experiences for Nurses (OEN), Multidimensional Ego Identity Scale (MEIS), Professional Identity Scale for Nurses (PISN), Bidimensional Resilience Scale (BRS). The questionnaire response rate was 35.9%, with 312valid responses (32.8%). Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis and Multiple linear regression analysis.

Results: A significant correlation was observed between OEN and PISN (r=0.565, p<.01), as well as PISN and BRS (r=0.551, p<.01). Both PISN (β=.432, p<.001) and BRS (β=.219, p<.001) were significant predictors of OEN. Additionally, a sense of oneness-continuity of ego was negatively effected by [Experiences in coping with the achievement of the developmental task and occupational experience] (β=-.239, p=.005), and [Experiences of maintaining employment, worrying and wavering] (β=-.272, p=.001).

Conclusion: This study revealed that enhancing professional identity as nurses and acquiring resilience were critical in improving the quality of occupational experience. Furthermore, the conflict between ego identity and identity as nurses may influence the quality of occupational experiences.