Objective:To explore the relationship between learning motivation and professional identity of nursing students.Methods:A total of 1 538 undergraduate and specialized nursing students from a medical college in Shandong Province were investigated with general information questionnaire, occupational identity scale and learning motivation scale.Results:The total score of professional identity and learning motivation of nursing students was 57.54±12.89 and 119.92 ±22.03 all of which were at the middle level. There was a positive correlation between the total score and each dimension ( r=0.225-0.614, P<0.01). Conclusions:Nursing students' professional identity is positively correlated with their learning motivation. The stronger their learning motivation is, the higher their level of professional identity is. It suggests that nursing education and managers should pay attention to improving their learning motivation and establish a stable professional concept.