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Aims and objectives To explore nursing applicants’ perceptions of the nursing profession and to identify the factors influencing their perceptions. Background Perceptions guide the career choice in nursing and the retainment in the profession. Perceptions of nursing profession are said to be outdated and unrealistic among public. Therefore, more information is needed about the perceptions of nursing applicants. Design Exploratory qualitative design using focus group interviews. Methods Three focus group interviews (n = 18) were conducted among applicants to undergraduate Bachelor of Science (BSc) nursing programmes. The focus group interviews were recorded transcribed and analysed using qualitative content analysis. In this study, the ethical principles set by Finnish law and the National Advisory Board on Research Ethics were followed. Findings Applicants perceived nursing through characteristics of a nurse, content of nursing work, nature of nursing work and career possibilities in nursing. According to applicants, nursing requires suitable attitude and character with knowledge, theoretical competence and good general education. Nurses were seen to work in multi‐professional teams and tasks of a nurse were described through caring role of a nurse. The decision‐making in nursing was regarded limited. Nursing was considered as secure job with versatile career options although the career options or the further educational possibilities were not fully recognised among applicants. Personal factors, family and friends, media and career counselling at school influenced applicants’ perceptions. Conclusions Applicants’ perceptions of the nursing profession are one‐sided and partly unrealistic. Future research should concentrate on planning interventions aiming to change the public image of the nursing profession.

BackgroundPerceptions of the nursing profession influence career choices in nursing. An unrealistic perception might lead students to drop out of nursing education programmes. Objective measurement of the nursing applicants' perceptions at the student selection stage could enhance their career choices in nursing.AimTo develop and psychometrically evaluate the Perception of Nursing Profession Instrument (PNPI).DesignMixed method design.MethodTwo versions of the PNPI were developed during the years 2016–2022. The first version was based on documents describing the nursing profession and the second version was based on an integrative literature review, a focus groups study and a document analysis of descriptions of the nursing profession. The meta‐ethnographic approach was used to synthesize the results and form a theoretical framework for developing the PNPI (60 items). Item content validity was evaluated by an expert panel of nurses (n = 7). The psychometric properties of the instrument were analysed using the item response theory approach.ResultsThe development process resulted in the 40‐item PNPI with the following subscales: the content of nursing work, the career in nursing, the nature of nursing work and the characteristics of a nurse. The psychometric analysis revealed unidimensionality and goodness of fit to the partial credit model; however, the item difficulty was not well matched with the participants' abilities.ConclusionThe PNPI is a novel instrument for objectively measuring perceptions of the nursing profession. For further development, item difficulty must be enhanced to improve the measurement accuracy of the nursing applicants' perceptions of the nursing profession.ImpactPerceptions of the nursing profession influence career choices, but there is a lack of objective assessment instruments that can be used in nursing student selection setting to measure the perception. The results of this study offer an instrument to measure perception, while also suggesting ideas for further development.