{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T05:25:27Z","timestamp":1787203527282,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]],"date-time":"2026-08-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787097600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychol."],"abstract":"\n Introduction<\/jats:title>\n Professional identity, academic satisfaction, and career commitment are important psychological and educational factors that may influence nursing students\u2019 long-term engagement with the nursing profession. In countries such as India, where nursing workforce retention and migration are major concerns, understanding these factors is essential for strengthening future workforce stability. This study examined the levels of professional identity, academic satisfaction, and career commitment among undergraduate nursing students in India, identified student profiles based on these constructs, and examined whether academic satisfaction showed a statistical indirect association in the relationship between professional identity and career commitment.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among 354 undergraduate nursing students from two nursing colleges in India. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling. Data were collected using structured, validated self-administered questionnaires measuring professional identity, academic satisfaction, and career commitment. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, k-means cluster analysis, mediation analysis using PROCESS Model 4, and multiple linear regression were performed.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n Students reported high professional identity (mean\u202f=\u202f66.98, SD\u202f=\u202f8.78) and academic satisfaction (mean\u202f=\u202f19.15, SD\u202f=\u202f3.67), but moderate career commitment (mean\u202f=\u202f12.79, SD\u202f=\u202f2.16). Professional identity was positively correlated with academic satisfaction (r\u202f=\u202f0.517,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.001) and career commitment (\n r<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.224,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.001). Academic satisfaction was also positively correlated with career commitment (\n r<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f=\u202f0.283,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n \u202f&lt;\u202f0.001). Cluster analysis identified three student profiles: low identity and satisfaction profile, high identity, satisfaction, and commitment profile, and higher identity\/satisfaction but lower commitment profile. PROCESS analysis showed a significant indirect association between professional identity and career commitment through academic satisfaction, (B\u202f=\u202f0.0378, 95% CI: 0.0165\u20130.0607). In regression analysis, professional identity, academic satisfaction, and leadership involvement were significantly associated with career commitment. The model explained 11.9% of the variance in career commitment.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n Career commitment among nursing students was associated with professional identity, academic satisfaction, and leadership involvement. However, the modest explained variance suggests that additional personal, educational, and contextual factors should be explored. Longitudinal and multicenter studies are recommended to better understand the development of career commitment among nursing students.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2026.1931177","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,20]],"date-time":"2026-08-20T04:57:10Z","timestamp":1787201830000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Professional identity, academic satisfaction, and career commitment among undergraduate nursing students in India: a cross-sectional study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Ramya Kundayi","family":"Ravi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"RAK College of Nursing, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University","place":["Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Shivani","family":"Sharma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"SPHE College of Nursing, Saraswati Group of Colleges","place":["Mohali, Punjab, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Renitha","family":"MSJ","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"St. Joseph\u2019s College of Nursing","place":["Kothamangalam, Kerala, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohamed Anas","family":"Patni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, RAK College of Medical Sciences, Ras Al Khaimah Medical and Health Science University","place":["Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bhoomendra A.","family":"Bhongade","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, RAK College of Pharmacy, RAK Medical and Health Sciences University","place":["Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Priya","family":"Baby","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Nursing, NIMHANS","place":["Bangalore, India"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/23779608251355480","article-title":"Educational satisfaction, academic motivation, and related factors among nursing students in Iran: a cross-sectional study","volume":"11","author":"Abdi","year":"2025","journal-title":"SAGE Open Nurs."},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e18","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nedt.2013.12.007","article-title":"Role modeling in undergraduate nursing education: an integrative literature review","volume":"34","author":"Baldwin","year":"2014","journal-title":"Nurse Educ. 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