Key enablers and barriers to ICU nurses’ professional identity: a qualitative study

This study underscores enablers and barriers influencing ICU nurses' professional identity within the EST framework. Professional competence and a sense of irreplaceability enhance intrinsic motivation, whereas excessive workload and promotion pressure undermine stability. Interprofessional collaboration and multilevel support reduce burnout, while technological advances both improve efficiency and increase skill-related anxiety. Interventions such as optimizing workload and work environment, providing professional development, improving performance evaluation, and implementing hospital policies and broader healthcare reforms in China may strengthen professional identity, improve job satisfaction, and support the sustainable development of ICU nursing practice.