Level of Professionalism and Associated Factors Among Nurses Working in South Wollo Zone Public Hospitals, Northeastern Ethiopia, 2022

Abstract

Introduction Nurses are the frontline force for patient care, and nursing professionalism is a key tool for quality of care. Nursing professionalism and its characteristics should be defined in accordance with the current system. Objective To determine the level of professionalism in nursing and its associated factors in the South Wollo Public Hospital, Northeast Ethiopia. Methods A multicenter hospital-based cross-sectional study design was used in South Wollo Zone Public Hospitals from March to April 2022, with 357 nurses selected using a simple random sampling method. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire, then entered and analyzed using EpiData 4.7 and SPSS 26. Finally, predictors of nursing professionalism were identified using a multivariate logistic regression. Result Of the 350 respondents, 179 (51.1%) were women and 171 (48.9%) were men, with 68.6% displaying high levels of professionalism. Being women (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.93, 95% CI [1.718, 5.000]), having a positive self-image (AOR = 2.96, 95% CI [1.421, 6.205]), having a good organizational culture (AOR = 3.16, 95% CI [1.587, 6.302]), being a member of the nursing association (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI [1.137, 3.367]), and nurses who were satisfied with their job were significantly associated with nursing professionalism. Conclusion In this study, the level of nursing professionalism was encouraging but needed more effort. Furthermore, sex, self-image, organizational culture, nursing association membership, and job satisfaction were positive predictors of nursing professionalism. As a result, hospital administrations consider factors that maintain a pleasant institutional working environment to foster a positive self-image and increase job satisfaction.