Career guidancefor student nurses: an unmet need

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

1998

Current concern about a shortage of nurses has led to attention focusing on the provision of career guidance as a strategy to facilitate retention in the workforce. This paper presents findings on career guidance provided for psychiatric nursing students, and thus adds to the very small volume of research that exists on guidance in nursing generally. Questionnaires were sent to 556 Registered Mental Nurses shortly after qualification; 80% responded. This represented the first phase of a longitudinal study of these nurses' careers. Participants were asked whether they had received information about career pathways that might be pursued, educational opportunities available and work experience outside the NHS. If not they were asked whether they had wanted such information. They were also asked whether they had been given advice about planning their own career. Only a minority of respondents had received information or advice, but the majority would have liked to have done so. The findings are discussed in the context of whether there is a need for career guidance and, if so, by whom it should be provided.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Research Into Career Guidance For Nursesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developing a career in the mental health services: guidance for student nurses

Robinson

Psychiatric Ment Health Nurs

1998

“…Lack of first choice of client group, experienced by 29% of those with an NHS post, may delay plans coming to fruition and career guidance as to how best to proceed may be helpful in getting ‘back on track’ or deciding to opt for a different direction. Findings from this and other studies, however, indicate that career guidance of this kind tends to be notable by its absence both before and after qualification ( Rogers & Lawrence 1987; Schober 1987; Crofts 1992; Marsland 1996; Robinson et al . 1996 ).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 52%

Getting started: choice and constraint in obtaining a post after qualifying as a registered mental nurse

Robinson¹,

Journal of Nursing Management

1998

“…This is not to avoid uncertainty, which is likely at an early stage in a profession which offers such a multiplicity of directions, but rather to advise on the different options available and those most suited to individual skills. Findings from the questionnaire completed at qualification showed, however, that few respondents had received such advice during their registered general nursing co\u-se although the majority would have welcomed it (Robinson et al 1995, Marsland 1996. Subsequent questionnaires have also been designed to allow uncertainty about the future to emerge when appropriate to individual respondents and include questions on the availability of information about the future.…”

Section: Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

Constructing career pathways in nursing: some issues for research and policy

Robinson¹,

Journal of Advanced Nursing

Marsland

1997

Self Cite

Nurses currently construct careers in a climate of continuing occupational and organizational change. A longitudinal project is in progress which is documenting the post-qualification histories of a cohort of registered general nurses, and studying the extent to which their careers represent occupational choice, a response to organizational constraints, or a combination of both. Three elements comprise the core of the research: questions which provide information on the cohort's career plans, charts which document their career histories and questions which explore the relationship between the two. The basis of the design is the first element, and this paper focuses on the problems encountered in designing the questions and routing structures which enabled all cohort members to describe their plans for the future. The importance of extensive pilot work is demonstrated in the development of options tailored for each potential career pathway and to allow expressions of uncertainty to emerge at points when appropriate to respondents. Of the 1164 members of the cohort, 1015 returned the questionnaire; a response rate of 87%. Findings are presented on the cohort's plans at qualification. The majority of respondents (86%) saw themselves as remaining in nursing and in clinical practice in the early post-qualification period. Eighteen per cent said they intended to practise abroad at some point, 30% foresaw a likelihood of working in the private sector, 59% wanted to take one or more English National Board courses and 42% expressed interest in obtaining an undergraduate or postgraduate degree.