Abstract:

Job satisfaction has become a key concept in nursing workforce research. This has widespread and significant implications for nurses, patients, hospitals and the profession. This study aimed to explore how undergraduate educational experiences affect the level of job satisfaction in Iranian clinical nurses. The study was conducted using grounded theory method. Thirty Nurses were recruited by purposeful and theoretical sampling. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the method suggested by Corbin and Strauss. "Nurses with premature professional identity" emerged as the core category. The sub-categories included: Entry shock, Hesitation in staying or going, the educational rugged path, the community heavy look at, and uncertain departure. As a result of all these factors trained nurses who had not achieved its true identity and entered to clinical arena immaturely. The findings of this study indicate the need for creating conditions that nursing students feel that they have an important role in therapeutic team.

Keywords:

Grounded theory, nursing student, professional identity Iran.