Structural Model of Professional Socialization of Nursing Students With Clinical Practice Experience

Background: This study developed a structural model of the professional socialization of nursing students with clinical practice experience and tested its validity based on Meleis's transition theory. Method: Participants were third- and fourth-year nursing students with at least one semester of clinical experience. Cross-sectional data from 412 participants were analyzed. Results: The goodness of fit of the model was satisfactory. Regarding the differences in educational year, the effects of the clinical learning environment on adaptation to a clinical practicum were not significant for third-year students but were significant for fourth-year students. The effects of clinical practice competency on professional socialization were significant only for fourth-year students. Transition shock and adaptation to clinical practicum paths were significant factors in both groups. Conclusion: Clinical adaptation is important for developing professional socialization in nursing students. Clinical adaptation can be achieved by improving the clinical learning environment and facilitating the development of clinical practice competency. [ J Nurs Educ . 2020;59(3):133–141.]