Professional Selves and Profession Perception of Nursing Senior Students.

Background: Clinical environment provides students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills learned in the courses to real patients under the guidance of clinical nurses. Methods: The population of the study was 60 students enrolled in the course "Internal Medicine Nursing Internship Practice" in the 4th grade of a State University Health Sciences Faculty Nursing Department program, and the sample was 50 students who agreed to participate in the study. Results: The mean Nursing Profession Perception Scale total score was 91.50±9.547 before the internship and 91.80±8.164 after the internship. While the students' professional self-perception before the internship was 142.26±14.834, after the internship, it was 135.96+15.494, with a significant difference between the two measurements. Conclusions: As a result of this study, it was found that the internship practice did not cause a change in their perception of the profession, and did not contribute positively to their professional self-concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]