Professional identity profiles among nursing interns: a latent profile analysis and associations with psychological capital.

Background: Clinical practicum is the stage at which nursing interns begin to experience nursing as daily work. Professional identity is important during this transition, yet interns are often treated as a homogeneous group because they share the same training stage. This may obscure different patterns of role understanding, clinical belonging, teamwork, coping, and reflection. This study aimed to identify latent profiles of professional identity among nursing interns and examine how dimensions of psychological capital were associated with profile membership. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in December 2024 in two tertiary general hospitals in Chengdu, China. Nursing interns were eligible if they had completed at least one month of clinical practicum. Professional identity was measured across five dimensions, and psychological capital was measured through self-efficacy, resilience, hope, and optimism. Latent profile analysis identified professional identity profiles. Profile differences were examined with appropriate group comparison tests, and multinomial logistic regression examined factors associated with profile membership. Results: Among 432 valid responses, a three-profile solution showed clear classification and meaningful class sizes. The low, moderate, and high professional identity profiles included 164, 192, and 76 nursing interns, and the estimated profile proportions were 38.5, 43.9, and 17.6%. Psychological capital scores increased across the three profiles. In multinomial logistic regression, self-efficacy was associated with membership in both the moderate profile (OR = 1.349, 95% CI = 1.195-1.523) and the high profile (OR = 1.412, 95% CI = 1.221-1.631), while optimism was also associated with the moderate profile (OR = 1.334, 95% CI = 1.051-1.693) and especially the high profile (OR = 2.204, 95% CI = 1.336-3.636). Hope was associated only with membership in the high profile (OR = 1.344, 95% CI = 1.103-1.636). Resilience was not independently associated with profile membership, and failed courses showed sparse-cell instability. Conclusion: Nursing interns at the same clinical practicum stage showed distinct professional identity profiles. Psychological capital, such as self-efficacy, optimism, and hope, was associated with membership in profiles characterized by stronger professional identity patterns. These findings may inform the design and future evaluation of profile-informed practicum support.