Development of the Professional Identity Scale for Nurses (PISN)

Abstract

This paper introduces a scale to measure the degree of identity formation among professional Nurses, and also tests the Scale's reliability and validity. The Professional Identity Scale for Nurses (hereafter PISN) consists of 22 measured variables divided into 5 categories -sameness, consistency, self-confidence, self-esteem and adaptability - derived from Eriksons's concept of Identity. The reliability and validity of PISN were tested with a sampling study; questionannaire forms were sent to 252 registered Nurses working in the same prefecture, and replies were classified into 5 ranks and scored. Cronbach's Alpha was 0.84 and 20 items were shown to belong to the first factor. Those consequences not only indicate the reliability and unidimensionaility of PISN but also show that it has significant positive correlation with some earlier scales such as Rasmussen's Identity Scale, the Self-Esteem Scale and the Adaptation Sense Degree.