Dessy Ekawati, Ifa Nofalia

From Insecurity to Leadership: A Self-Esteem Enhancement Training for Nursing Students to Improve Job Readiness

Introduction

From insecurity to leadership: a self-esteem enhancement training for nursing students to improve job readiness. Boost nursing student confidence & job readiness with our self-esteem enhancement training. Proven effective in improving psychological well-being & professional preparedness.

Abstract

Nursing students often face psychological challenges before graduation, including low self-esteem, which may hinder their readiness to enter the workforce. This community service aimed to improve the self-esteem of eighth-semester nursing students through a structured training program to better prepare them for professional life. The training was conducted at the ITSKES ICME Jombang Hall in February 2025 and involved 82 students selected using total sampling. The one-day session included materials on self-concept reinforcement, motivational techniques, and job interview simulations. Evaluation was carried out using pre- and post-tests based on the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale. The pre-test results showed that 34.1% of respondents had low self-esteem, 52.4% moderate, and 13.5% high. After the training, there was a significant increase: only 3.7% remained in the low category, 40.2% were moderate, and 56.1% had reached a high self-esteem level. The self-esteem enhancement training proved effective in increasing the confidence of nursing students and is recommended as a strategy to strengthen soft skills in preparation for entering the workforce.

Review

This study tackles a highly relevant and critical issue: the psychological preparedness of nursing students as they transition into the professional workforce. Low self-esteem is a recognized barrier to successful integration, and the proposed self-esteem enhancement training offers a practical and much-needed intervention. The abstract clearly articulates the program's aim to bolster confidence and job readiness among eighth-semester nursing students, demonstrating a commendable commitment to student welfare and professional development within the community service framework. The significant positive shift in self-esteem levels post-training, as measured by the Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, points towards a promising approach to equip future healthcare professionals. The methodology employed, utilizing a pre- and post-test design with total sampling of 82 students, provides clear quantitative evidence of the training's immediate impact. The structured one-day session, encompassing self-concept reinforcement, motivational techniques, and job interview simulations, directly addresses key areas vital for professional confidence and competence. The observed shift from a substantial percentage of students with low self-esteem (34.1%) to a dramatically reduced figure (3.7%) and a corresponding surge in those with high self-esteem (from 13.5% to 56.1%) strongly supports the effectiveness of the intervention. This robust numerical improvement highlights the immediate benefits and suggests that such targeted training can be a valuable component of nursing education. While the immediate results are encouraging, the study's design, typical for a community service report, presents some limitations that should be considered for future research. The one-day duration and lack of a long-term follow-up assessment make it difficult to ascertain the sustained impact of the training on self-esteem and actual job readiness outcomes. Furthermore, the absence of a control group limits the ability to definitively attribute the observed improvements solely to the intervention, as other concurrent factors might have played a role. Future research would greatly benefit from incorporating a longitudinal design to track students' progress over time, including post-graduation job search success and initial professional performance. Expanding the study to include qualitative feedback from participants and potentially a comparative group would also strengthen the evidence base and provide richer insights into the mechanisms through which such training fosters resilience and confidence. Despite these points, the current work serves as a valuable initial step and a strong recommendation for integrating soft skills training into nursing curricula.

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