Influence de la formation infirmière sur la professionnalisation des étudiants finalistes de l’Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales de Kikwit

This study examines the influence of nursing education on the professionalization of final-year nursing students trained at ISTM/Kikwit. The quality of nursing education is a decisive factor in the development of students’ professional competencies, attitudes, and readiness for clinical practice.

The study adopted a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative phase was conducted first, followed by a qualitative phase intended to deepen and enrich the interpretation of the statistical findings. Systematic observation and a phenomenological approach were used. Data were collected using an observation grid and an interview-guide questionnaire. A non-probability convenience sampling technique was applied. Based on the selection criteria, 95 students were included in the quantitative phase, while 42 students participated in the qualitative phase, with the final number determined by data saturation. The participants were selected from a total population of 245 final-year nursing students enrolled during the 2020–2021 academic year, according to their availability at the different study sites.

The findings indicate that the prevalence of professionalization among nursing students was 36.8%. Bivariate analysis shows that the professional attitudes acquired during training had only a limited favourable influence on the professionalization of future nurses. Similarly, the training strategies implemented at ISTM/Kikwit appeared to contribute only modestly to the professionalization of final-year nursing students.

This low level of professionalization highlights the need to strengthen the alternation between theoretical instruction and practical training. Such an approach would allow students to integrate new knowledge progressively throughout their academic and clinical training. These findings also support the importance of meaningful learning as a pedagogical intervention capable of improving the professionalization process.

Overall, this study emphasizes the essential role of nursing education in developing the professional competencies of future nurses. It also underlines the need for innovative pedagogical approaches that promote stronger coherence between theory and practice and better prepare students for the demands of the nursing profession.

Keywords: Influence; nursing education; professionalization; final-year students.