{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,20]],"date-time":"2026-10-20T16:57:53Z","timestamp":1792515473024,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,2]],"date-time":"2025-05-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1746144000000},"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. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec><jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title><jats:p>To explore the impact and mechanisms of COVID-19 on the professional identity of nursing students, providing theoretical and practical insights to inform nursing education reform.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Method<\/jats:title><jats:p>This study employed Colaizzi\u2019s descriptive phenomenological method to explore nursing students\u2019 experiences. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data collection continued until information saturation was achieved. Data analysis followed Colaizzi\u2019s seven-step approach: (1) reading all participants\u2019 descriptions to gain a general understanding, (2) extracting significant statements, (3) formulating meanings from these statements, (4) organizing formulated meanings into clusters of themes, (5) developing an exhaustive description, (6) refining the description into a fundamental structure, and (7) validating the findings by returning to participants for feedback. A socialization theory framework was applied to analyze relationships between themes and clarify the mechanisms underlying professional identity development.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>From March 1 to March 13, 2023, 21 nursing students from seven medical schools in Guangdong Province participated in the research. The findings showed that nursing students\u2019 professional identity, initially medium or low before the epidemic, significantly improved afterward. Three key themes related to professional identity improvement were identified based on socialization theory: (1) Social Practice Experience: Activities such as volunteer services and pandemic prevention education promote role affirmation, meaningful engagement, and a strong professional mission. (2) Role Model Observation: Observing frontline healthcare workers enhances professional honor and role expectations. (3) Social Comparison and Evaluation: Positive feedback from media, family, and peers encourages respect and enthusiasm for nursing.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title><jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic markedly improved nursing students\u2019 professional identity, providing insights for education and career development. To strengthen nursing education, it is advised to emphasize disaster response training, integrate role model examples, and utilize social recognition to foster students\u2019 professional identity and commitment.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1565212","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,2]],"date-time":"2025-05-02T11:45:15Z","timestamp":1746186315000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Epidemic-induced changes in nursing students\u2019 professional identity: a qualitative investigation"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Huiting","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wenhao","family":"He","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dan","family":"Cao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiali","family":"Liu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yongfeng","family":"Yang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaoli","family":"Zhu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mengxiao","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"104781","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nedt.2021.104781","article-title":"Influences of nursing students\u2019 career planning, internship experience, and other factors on professional identity","volume":"99","author":"Wei","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nurse Educ Today"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"56","DOI":"10.1097\/01.NUMA.0000731960.67612.ef","article-title":"Fostering nurses' professional identity","volume":"52","author":"Goodyear","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nurs Manag"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"55","DOI":"10.1097\/01.NME.0000732012.99855.78","article-title":"Professional identity in nursing practice","volume":"19","author":"Pullen","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nurs made Incred Easy"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"200","DOI":"10.1186\/s12912-022-00983-2","article-title":"Factors influencing the professional identity of nursing interns: a cross-sectional study","volume":"21","author":"Zeng","year":"2022","journal-title":"BMC Nurs"},{"key":"ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"187","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nedt.2012.01.012","article-title":"Predictive validity of the Macleod Clark professional identity scale for undergraduate nursing students","volume":"33","author":"Worthington","year":"2013","journal-title":"Nurse Educ Today"},{"key":"ref6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"43","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nedt.2017.08.004","article-title":"The effects of nursing education on professional values: a longitudinal study","volume":"58","author":"Kantek","year":"2017","journal-title":"Nurse Educ Today"},{"key":"ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1016\/j.anr.2015.11.001","article-title":"Vocational identity and Ego identity status in Korean nursing students","volume":"10","author":"Koo","year":"2016","journal-title":"Asian Nurs Res"},{"key":"ref8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"137","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijnss.2014.05.002","article-title":"Measurement of professional identity in Chinese nursing students","volume":"1","author":"Hao","year":"2014","journal-title":"Int J Nurs Sci"},{"key":"ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1557988320936583","DOI":"10.1177\/1557988320936583","article-title":"Professional identity of male nursing students in 3-year colleges and junior male nurses in China","volume":"14","author":"Chen","year":"2020","journal-title":"Am J Mens Health"},{"key":"ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"rs.3.rs-3423723","DOI":"10.21203\/rs.3.rs-3423723\/v1","article-title":"Understanding and barriers to formation professional identity among current and recent graduates of nurses and midwifery in two universities in a low resource setting: a qualitative study","author":"Mbalinda","year":"2023","journal-title":"Res Square"},{"key":"ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"271","DOI":"10.1620\/tjem.250.271","article-title":"The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic","volume":"250","author":"Baloch","year":"2020","journal-title":"Tohoku J Exp Med"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1817","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph19031817","article-title":"Current social perception of and value attached to nursing Professionals\u2019 competences: An integrative review","volume":"19","author":"Rodr\u00edguez-P\u00e9rez","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Environ Res Public Health"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"112","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nedt.2004.11.003","article-title":"Severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak promotes a strong sense of professional identity among nursing students","volume":"25","author":"Heung","year":"2005","journal-title":"Nurse Educ Today"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"151","DOI":"10.4103\/jehp.jehp_388_21","article-title":"Investigating the professional identity and resilience in nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic","volume":"11","author":"Jafarianamiri","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Educ Health Promot"},{"key":"ref15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijnss.2021.09.005","article-title":"Associated factors of professional identity among nursing undergraduates during COVID-19: a cross-sectional study","volume":"9","author":"Tang","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int J Nurs Sci"},{"key":"ref16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103040","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nepr.2021.103040","article-title":"Professional identity of Chinese nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak: a nation-wide cross-sectional study","volume":"52","author":"Zhang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Nurse Educ Pract"},{"key":"ref17","first-page":"607","volume-title":"In: Self-efficacy: The exercise of control","author":"Bandura","year":"2001"},{"key":"ref18","first-page":"110","volume-title":"In: Modern social psychology","author":"Shi","year":"2006"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"494","DOI":"10.1177\/17449871221114547","article-title":"Perspectives: nursing students and COVID-19: challenges and coping strategies","volume":"27","author":"Kalal","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Res Nurs JRN"},{"key":"ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"123","DOI":"10.1111\/nhs.12902","article-title":"Nursing students' experience of providing frontline COVID-19 support: a qualitative study","volume":"24","author":"V\u00e1zquez-Calatayud","year":"2022","journal-title":"Nurs Health Sci"},{"key":"ref21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e0275387","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0275387","article-title":"Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on professional identity development of intern nursing students in China: a scoping review","volume":"17","author":"Luo","year":"2022","journal-title":"PLoS One"},{"key":"ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"195","DOI":"10.1057\/s41599-023-01719-6","article-title":"How nursing students' risk perception affected their professional commitment during the COVID-19 pandemic: the mediating effects of negative emotions and moderating effects of psychological capital","volume":"10","author":"Li","year":"2023","journal-title":"Humanit Soc Sci Commun"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e12479","DOI":"10.1111\/jjns.12479","article-title":"Effectiveness of a professional identity promotion strategy for nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic: a quasi-experimental study","volume":"19","author":"Wang","year":"2022","journal-title":"JJNS"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e2021036","DOI":"10.23750\/abm.v92iS2.11959","article-title":"Nurse's identity role during Covid-19","volume":"92","author":"Rossi","year":"2021","journal-title":"Acta bio-medica: Atenei Parmensis"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"431","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cnur.2005.04.012","article-title":"The impact of disaster on culture, self, and identity: increased awareness by health care professionals is needed","volume":"40","author":"Deeny","year":"2005","journal-title":"Nurs Clin North Am"},{"key":"ref26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.1016\/j.nepr.2019.08.004","article-title":"Interprofessional education: a disaster response simulation activity for military medics, nursing, & paramedic science students","volume":"39","author":"Murray","year":"2019","journal-title":"Nurse Educ Pract"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1565212\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,2]],"date-time":"2025-05-02T11:45:17Z","timestamp":1746186317000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1565212\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,2]]},"references-count":26,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1565212"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2025.1565212","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,5,2]]},"article-number":"1565212"}}