Considerations for professionalism of nursing students in clinical practices

This is a descriptive study that aims to determine the factors affecting the professional behaviour of nursing students in clinical applications. The survey was conducted between 20 September and 20 December 2017 with the participation of 274 students studying in the Nursing Department of Health Sciences Faculty of a University. The data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of 18 questions and Nursing Students Professional Behaviours Scale (NSPBS). The mean age of the nursing students participated in the study was 20.67 +/- 1.88 years and 81.8% of the students were female while 18.2% were male. Of them, 78.5% loved their profession, 60.9% chose their profession willingly, 67.5% did not want to change their profession and 9.5% of them were members of professional associations and followed professional publications. The mean score of NSPBS was determined to be 122 (29-135). Hence, the nursing students' ability to perform professional behaviours was found to be high.