Assessing the categories and influencing factors of the professional identity among new nurses: a latent profile analysis.

Background: This study aims to explore the latent classes of professional identity among new nurses and to identify the factors influencing their professional identity.

Methods: A convenience sampling method was employed to recruit 256 new nurses from tertiary general hospitals in Shanghai in September 2024. Data were gathered through a general data questionnaire, the Nurse Professional Identity Scale (NPIS), the Task Load Index Scale, and the Psychological Resilience Scale. Latent profile analysis was conducted using the five dimensions of the NPIS as manifest indicators, while influencing factors were analyzed through univariate and multivariate logistic ordinal regression.

Results: A total of 248 valid questionnaires were collected, with an effective response rate of 96.87%. The mean overall professional identity score of new nurses was 98.01 ± 21.14, reflecting a moderate level of identity. Three latent profiles of professional identity were identified: high-identification/confident type (11.7%), moderate-identification/conventional type (16.9%), and low-identification/apathetic type (71.4%). Univariate analysis showed no significant differences in demographic characteristics, while psychological resilience and task load exhibited clinically significant variations (p < 0.001, P = 0.009). Ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that psychological resilience was the primary influencing factor for the latent profiles of professional identity among new nurses (OR = 1.066, 95% CI = 1.046-1.086, P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The professional identity of new nurses exhibits considerable heterogeneity, with 71.4% falling into the low-identification/apathetic category. Managers should focus on supporting nurses with lower professional identity. Psychological resilience acts as a protective factor across various identity profiles, and interventions to enhance resilience are recommended to stabilize the nursing workforce and promote the growth of nursing and healthcare.