Positive Organizational Psychology in Nursing Education: A Bibliometric Analysis and Narrative Review (2005–2025)
TL;DR
Nurse managers and academic leaders can use this map to embed positive organizational resources-psychological capital, supportive climates, and positive leadership-into curricula, faculty development, and clinical learning environments, with priority on strengthening professional identity and well-being.
Abstract
Background Positive organizational psychology (POP) offers a strengths‐based framework for fostering psychological resources, well‐being, engagement, and supportive organizational climates—increasingly relevant to nursing education, where students and educators face persistent academic, emotional, and workplace pressures. The global development and knowledge structure of POP‐related nursing‐education research remain unmapped. Methods We conducted a bibliometric analysis combined with a narrative synthesis. The Web of Science Core Collection was searched on 6 August 2026 (2005–2025) using a three‐tier strategy validated against a frozen seed set (verified recall 96%) and selected by a prespecified precision duel. Screening followed PRISMA 2020 with independent double‐blind review and an exclusion audit; 2321 of 13,658 records were included. Analyses used bibliometrix; a narrative synthesis interpreted the resulting themes. Results Publications grew from 4 in 2005 to 495 in 2025 (compound annual growth 27.2%), accelerating after 2020. China (472) and the United States (444) were the largest contributors, and China accumulated the most citations (9940). Nurse Education Today, BMC Nursing, and Nurse Education in Practice were the most productive journals. After deterministic author‐name disambiguation, Tracy Levett‐Jones was the most productive author (14 publications). Eight thematic communities were identified, centered on simulation‐based education and self‐efficacy, stress and mental health, resilience and coping, emotional intelligence, the clinical learning environment, learning approaches, well‐being, and COVID‐19/professional identity; professional identity and online learning were the strongest recent trend topics. Conclusions POP‐related nursing‐education research has expanded rapidly, particularly around stress, resilience, self‐efficacy, and professional identity. Future work should move beyond descriptive designs toward theory‐driven, longitudinal, intervention, and cross‐cultural studies. Implications for Nursing Management Nurse managers and academic leaders can use this map to embed positive organizational resources—psychological capital, supportive climates, and positive leadership—into curricula, faculty development, and clinical learning environments, with priority on strengthening professional identity and well‐being.