The effect of uniform wearing and candle lighting ceremony on nursing students’ perspective on the profession – a qualitative study

Introduction and aim. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the Uniform Wearing Ceremony and the Candle Lighting on nursing students’ perceptions of the profession. Material and methods. A qualitative, phenomenological method was used to design the study. The standardised criteria for reporting qualitative research with 32 elements were used for the research. The study was conducted with 60 students who volunteered to participate in the study by not selecting a sample of first year nursing students from a university in Northern Turkey. Interviews were conducted 3 times for approximately 20-40 minutes. Results. In this study, the rate of students who perceived the Uniform Wearing Ceremony as positive was as high as (n=42), the rate of those who thought that the uniform had an effect on the image of the nursing profession was 88.3%, and the rate of those who considered nursing as a respected profession was (23%). Conclusion. Nursing students who participated in the study stated that the effect of the Uniform Wearing Ceremony and the Candle Lighting Ceremony positively influenced their perception of the profession and that the uniform had an impact on the image of the nursing profession.