J Med Edu. 2021 August; 20(3):e118118. Published online 2021 November 21. doi: 10.5812/jme.118118. Research Article Professional Socialization of Nursing Students and Its Relationship with Self-Esteem Maasoumeh Barkhordari-Sharifabad 1, * and AliAskar Mortazavi 1 1 Department of Nursing, School of Medical Sciences, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Yazd, Iran * Corresponding author: Department of Nursing, School of Medical Sciences, Yazd Branch, Islamic Azad University, 8916871967, Yazd, Iran. Email: barkhordary.m@gmail.com Received 2021 July 23; Revised 2021 October 10; Accepted 2021 November 09. Abstract Background: Nursing students must have the desired level of professional socialization to acquire the necessary roles and values to participate in the health care system. The process of socialization is part of the self-concept. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the level of socialization of nursing students and its relationship with self- esteem. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Data were collected from 166 nursing students. Data collection tools were demographic, professional socialization, and self-esteem questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods by SPSS 16. Results: The average scores of professional socialization and self-esteem were 174.87 ± 19.5 and 5.65 ± 5.10, respectively. Profes- sional socialization was moderate in the majority of the participants (54.80%). The dimensions of “valuation and knowledge of the profession” and “management and organizational policies” had the highest and lowest averages, respectively. There was a positive and significant relationship between professional socialization and all its dimensions with self-esteem (P < 0.05). Also, there was a significant relationship between “professional socialization” and “interest in the field” as well as “the adaptation of the field to the ideas after entering the university”. Conclusions: By considering strategies, such as creating a positive attitude towards the nursing profession in students, professors can create a sufficient sense of self-esteem in different clinical settings and, consequently, strengthen professional socialization. Keywords: Self-Esteem, Professional Socialization, Nursing Students 1. Background Professional socialization is a complex process in which an individual acquires the knowledge, skills, and identities to become a professional and subsequently in- ternalizes the values and norms of group behavior (1). Professional socialization is critical to the fulfillment of nurses’ professional roles and the process of professional self-improvement (2). It is an extensive process from be- ing a student to a qualified professional nurse and beyond (3). Nursing schools, clinical learning environments, and students are key components of this process (4). Acquir- ing professional identity, adaptation to professional roles, and professional commitment, and consequently, improv- ing the quality of patient care are the most important posi- tive consequences of professional socialization of nursing students (5, 6). Personal factors have been mentioned as facilitators of professional socialization (3), and self-esteem is a key factor in determining personal’s behaviors (7), which can predict socialization (8). According to Murk’s theory, self-esteem consists of two components of competence and worthi- ness (9). Higher self-esteem is associated with greater in- terest and success in developing relationships and greater satisfaction with social relationships (8). Self-esteem is rec- ognized as a coping source when interacting with others by strengthening individual confidence and a sense of in- clusion (10). On the other hand, low self-esteem and lack of assertiveness are associated with how socialization is per- formed (11). Nursing is a profession that requires a sense of respon- sibility, precision, and intelligence. Any shortcoming in the training of this group will certainly affect the quality of health services and ultimately, the health of individu- als and communities. The main mission of nursing edu- cation is to train competent nurses who have the neces- sary knowledge and skills to provide high-quality nursing care (12). Self-esteem and professional socialization have a profound effect on the level of professional development Copyright © 2021, Journal of Medical Education. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.