The concept of professional socialization is gaining popularity in the nursing profession and denotes the complex process involving learning, development, adaptation and interaction processes. The above concepts are reinforced by various attributes such as comprehensive educational programs, the use of adequate field experiences and competent role models were found to be antecedents of the above attributes. Accordingly, they pose both positive and negative implications on the development of the nursing professional role. This research acknowledges that being a nurse entails more than just practising the common aspects of care but is also part of the socialization process through which the professional identity of the nursing role is developed and internalized.
Professional socialization is the process of internalizing the skills and knowledge to advance a professional role underpinned by professional norms and values. This is achieved through professional education and experiential learning in the work environment. According to Seada and Fathi Sleem (2012), s ocialization is highly recommended for nursing students at the entry level for nursing programs and throughout their professional practice. The socialization process begins with the student expectations from their college experience. Once in college, nursing students are exposed to a wide range of socializing agents such as faculty members, peer students, mentors and other individuals outside the school environment. These agents also convey the norms and expectations related to their membership in the school community.
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Question: Do you believe it leads to effective assumption of the nursing role?
Internalizing the values of the nursing profession is critical in professional development due to its capacity to provide the foundation for expected behaviour. During their professional interactions, nursing students are exposed to ideal nursing values as they emulate the ways of the nursing faculty. Through professional socialization, nursing students become more committed to the discipline by gaining problem solving and critical thinking skills. Nursing socialization also encompasses several themes notably affirmation and a sense of belonging ( Seada & Fathi Sleem, 2012) . Professional socialization is a multidimensional concept among nursing students because it is achieved through the classroom experience, clinical practice and other extracurricular aspects of the learning experience. Accordingly, socialization forms the basis for clinical practice and helps in assessing clinical features from different nursing practice.
Impact of a Predominantly Male Physician-based Environment on the Socialization Role of Nursing
In contemporary nursing practice, both patients and healthcare professionals reap mutual benefits from a strong professional alliance. Nevertheless, a growing body of evidence suggests that conflicts arise between nurses and physicians in an increasingly patriarchal healthcare system ( Jasemi, Rahmani, Aghakhani, Hosseini, & Eghtedar, 2013) . Accordingly, nurses’ independence and professional responsibility are strongly influenced by their relationship with physicians. A historical overview of the nursing profession suggests that it is a preserve of the female population. Various social changes are needed to improve the above relationship.
In order to improve the physician-nurse relationship, several socialization strategies are proposed by this review. Nurse-physician collaborative partnerships can best be fostered through promoting clinical autonomy and acceptance of separate spheres of accountability and responsibility. Overall, the relationship the nurse-physician relationship was viewed by Hassankhani, Abri, Zamanzadeh, and Aghdam (2012) as a multidimensional phenomenon that is predicted by the economic, socio-cultural factors. Similarly, gender distribution in the workplace is one of the influential factors of the nursing experience. In contemporary nursing practice, socio-cultural factors and gender-socialization inhibit fruitful relationships between nurses and physicians.
The patriarchal of the healthcare industry further reinforces the gendered norms in the healthcare environment. The improvement of nurses’ decision making skills and fostering collaborative learning among nursing students are highly recommended strategies especially in cultures underpinned by the hierarchical model of professional relationships. In addition, Hassankhani et al. (2012) overemphasized on the need to distribute organizational support and power sources. Achieving supportive organizational structures can therefore be reinforced through promoting gender equity and adopting a positive attitude towards female roles as the main drivers of nurses’ empowerment.
References
Jasemi, M., Rahmani, A., Aghakhani, N., Hosseini, F. S., & Eghtedar, S. (2013). Nurses and Physicians' viewpoint toward interprofessional collaboration. Iran Journal of Nursing , 26 (81), 1-10.
Hassankhani, H., Abri, S., Zamanzadeh, V., & Aghdam, A. R. M. (2012). Iranian nurses perception of control over nursing practice. European Journal of Scientific Research , 75 (1), 5-13.
Seada, A., & Fathi Sleem, W. (2012). Professional socialization process and acquisition of professional nursing values among undergraduate nursing students. Journal of American Science , 8 (4), 678-83.
