A cross-sectional study on preferred employment settings of final-year nursing students in Israel

Abstract

Background: Despite the growing demand for community nurses, their number remains relatively low. We examined perceptions of final-year nursing students regarding their preferred work setting after graduation and the factors affecting their choice. Methods: A cross-sectional survey using a structured questionnaire was developed specifically for this study. The questionnaire was distributed among fourth-year students from all nursing training frameworks across Israel. Results: Of 281 respondents (76.6% women, average age, 29.3 years), most (80.9%) preferred working in hospitals, while 5% preferred community settings; 14% were undecided. Students' knowledge on hospital nurses' tasks was greater compared to their knowledge on community nurses' tasks. Moreover, hospital nurses' tasks were perceived as more important than those of community nurses. The contribution of clinical placement in hospital nursing was perceived as significantly more meaningful than the contribution of clinical placement in community nursing. The vast majority of students (94.3%) stated that they would prefer to undergo a hospital nursing internship. A significant correlation was noted between students' clinical placement, the exposure to community nursing roles, and the perception of the community nurse's role: clinical placements that were perceived as a positive experience led to a more positive perception of community nurses' roles. Conclusions: Nursing students' perception of community nursing is based upon limited information which does not reflect community nurses' actual role and work.

Optimizing the contributions of nursing and midwifery workforces: #Protect, #Invest, #Together

“…The second main area of action was to create new nursing jobs by 2030, primarily in low- and middle-income countries, to off-set the projected shortages, and to redress the inequitable distribution of nurses across the world. Papers that we have published in the Call include an examination of factors that motivate midwives to remain in their workplace in the Democratic Republic of Congo [ 8 ]; a report on evidence-based health workforce planning and unemployed nurses and midwives in Ghana [ 9 ]; an analysis of the risks of the precarization (casualization) of the Mexican nursing labour market [ 10 ], a study on preferred employment settings of final-year nursing students in Israel [ 11 ], and an international review on burnout in nursing, which takes on even greater prominence with the impact of the pandemic [ 12 ].…”

A survey on the attitudinal differences between acute and community settings

“…These findings share similarities when examining other healthcare professions' viewpoints, especially those entering or soon to be entering the healthcare workforce. For example, when comparing nursing students' perceptions of acute care and community settings, acute care is often seen as more exciting and challenging and offers a more technologically advanced level of care [36,37]. In addition, community settings are seen as largely being made up of elderly patients with chronic illnesses, and offer greater opportunities to work independently [36][37][38].…”

“…A critical factor also seen with these nursing student perceptions is the negative connotations associated with community settings. Community settings were broadly seen as boring, working with elderly patients was seen as depressing, and students perceived less opportunity for advancement [36][37][38]. Acute care settings, on the other hand, were seen as more important and exciting [36,37].…”

“…Community settings were broadly seen as boring, working with elderly patients was seen as depressing, and students perceived less opportunity for advancement [36][37][38]. Acute care settings, on the other hand, were seen as more important and exciting [36,37].…”

“…These perceptions are due in part to misguided views on how complex and varied working with patients in their homes can be [36], how home care is provided by lower-skilled caregivers [38], and the degree of exposure to community settings during clinical placements [37]. This gives evidence that how one setting is presented can influence future graduates' perceptions of a particular setting, which in turn influences their likelihood of seeking employment in them [36][37][38]. For example, a significant positive correlation was seen in one study between nursing student experience during clinical placement and their perceptions of nursing tasks.…”