The purpose of this study is to compare the degrees of the awareness of and performance with standard precautions, which are the healthcare-associated infection control activities, between nursing students and
clinical nurses and to test the mediating effects of self-leadership. The subjects who consented to
participation in the research were sampled from sophomores and seniors, who was enrolled at one nursing
department of a nursing college located in C city and nurses of one 300-bed hospital. The data were
collected during a period between December 12, 2016 and December 19, 2016. T As a result of comparing
the mediating effects of self-leadership on the degrees of the awareness of and performance with standard
precautions between the nursing students and the clinical nurses, it was found that as for the nursing
students, the total effect and the direct effect were significant; however, the indirect effect of self-leadership
was not significant. In contrast, as for the clinical nurses, it was found that all the total effect, the direct
effect, and the indirect effect of the self-leadership were statistically significant. This study has the
educational implication in that it has prepared basic data for the future education of nursing students, who
are nurses-to-be, about the healthcare-associated infection.