Concept of professional socialization in nursing

Each nursing student comes to nursing with a lay image of nursing portrayed by nurses they have seen. This lay perception of nursing that a nursing student holds is transformed to a more professional understanding that is acquired in nursing schools. This process is known as professional socialization. It is a process of learning the norms, attitudes, behaviours, skills, roles, and values of the profession. It involves the internalization of the values and norms of the profession in the individual’s own behaviour and self-concept. The ultimate goal of professional socialization is to internalize a professional identity of the profession. Professional socialization sets in to reduce the tension from the scenario of reality shock and facilitate adaptation during the transition process. This paper serves as a concept paper with the main purpose of introducing and explaining the concept of professional socialization in nursing to help the readers in gaining further understanding of the concept, especially within the local context. The first author has also incorporated her own personal reflections with regards to her socialization process to nursing.