The role of self-efficacy in mediating between professional identity and self-reported competence among nursing students in the internship period: A quantitative study

Aim: This study explored the relationship between self-efficacy, professional identity and competence among nursing students and analyzed the mediating role of self-efficacy in the relationship between professional identity and competence. Background: Increasing attention has been paid to the cultivation of competence among nursing students; however, few studies to date have analyzed its related factors and examined their relationship. Design: A quantitative study with a descriptive design was performed in this study, adopting an online survey with convenience and snowball sampling. A cross-sectional sample of 887 nursing students in the internship period of their education program in mainland China was recruited from November to December 2020. Methods: The Nursing Students Competence Instrument, Professional Identity Questionnaire for Nurse Students and General Self-efficacy Scale were distributed online. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, structural equation modeling (SEM) and the bootstrap method were employed in data analysis. Results: Competence was significantly and positively correlated with professional identity (r = 0.598; P < 0.01) and self-efficacy (r = 0.692; P < 0.01). SEM analysis revealed that professional identity (8 = 0.31; P < 0.01) or self-efficacy (8 = 0.31; P < 0.01) could have a positive impact on competence. Meanwhile, self-efficacy played a mediating role in the relationship between professional identity and competence, with an indirect effect of professional identity creation through self-efficacy accounting for 52% of the total effect. Conclusions: Self-efficacy mediates the relationship between professional identity and competence to some extent. School educators and clinical tutors should pay greater attention to students' professional identity and selfefficacy to improve students' competence.