Improving the rates of continuation and completion of nursing students is a priority to ensure there are sufficient qualified staff to deliver national healthcare services. In the literature, which is predominantly informed by research undertaken in traditional HE institutions with students studying conventional academic programmes, the development of a student identity and course commitment are identified as key components of persistence and success. This linear model assumes that student identity formation takes place during the transition into HE - and professional identities develop as graduates progress into the workplace. Qualitative research in the UK and Norway with nursing and midwifery students found that a strong desire to become a healthcare professional is often the starting point for enrolling in HE, rather than the culmination of the course. A strong future-facing professional identity and commitment sustain many students through the process of accessing and ‘enduring’ their nursing degree programmes that qualify them for practice. But these programmes do little to nurture professional commitment and identity, which could be harnessed to help these students to successfully complete their nursing studies. Recognising the differences between these professionally-oriented, future-facing students, and those studying traditional degree programmes, should inform approaches to improve the continuation and success of nurses. Their learning experience needs to be affirming and nurturing of this emerging professional identity to allow students to overcome academic and professional challenges they experience as they strive to become nurses, and allow them to fully embrace their professional identity.

提高护理学生的继续学习率和完成率是确保有足够的合格人员提供国家医疗保健服务的首要任务。在文献中，主要是在传统高等教育机构中对学生学习传统学术课程进行的研究，学生身份的发展和课程承诺被认为是坚持和成功的关键组成部分。这种线性模型假设学生身份的形成发生在向高等教育的过渡期间，而职业身份则随着毕业生进入工作场所而发展。在英国和挪威对护理和助产专业学生进行的定性研究发现，成为医疗保健专业人员的强烈愿望往往是入读高等教育的起点，而不是课程的高潮。强烈的面向未来的职业认同和承诺支撑着许多学生获得并“忍受”他们的护理学位课程，使他们有资格从事实践。但这些项目对于培养专业承诺和身份几乎没有什么作用，而这些可以用来帮助这些学生成功完成护理学习。认识到这些面向专业、面向未来的学生与学习传统学位课程的学生之间的差异，应该为提高护士的持续性和成功提供方法。他们的学习经历需要肯定和培育这种新兴的职业身份，以使学生能够克服他们在努力成为护士时遇到的学术和专业挑战，并让他们充分接受自己的职业身份。