Aims and objectives. To examine the associations among professional self-concept, organisational commitment and burnout, and to analyse the mediating role of organisational commitment on the relationship between professional self-concept and burnout among community health nurses in Chengdu, China. Background. Previous studies have focused on work environmental variables that contributed to burnout in nurses. However, no study has explored the mediating effect of organisational commitment on the correlation between professional self-concept and burnout in community health nurses. Design. A cross-sectional descriptive study. Methods. This study was conducted at 36 community health centres in Chengdu, China with 485 nurses sampled using a two-stage sampling method. The measures used in our study included Nurses' Self-concept Questionnaire, Organisational Commitment Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory. Results. The results of structural equation model techniques indicated that, in the direct approach, positive professional self-concept resulted in increased organisational commitment and reduced burnout. Higher organisational commitment resulted in less burnout. In the indirect approach, organisational commitment performed as a partial mediator on the correlation between professional self-concept and burnout. Conclusions. Positive perception of professional self-concept can result in reduced burnout via enhancing organisational commitment. Relevance to clinical practice. It is crucial for nursing administrators to develop effective intervention strategies such as skills escalator training and assertive training, and establishing a supportive working environment to enhance nurses' professional self-concept and organisational commitment, and decrease burnout.