Choosing Nursing as a Profession

Abstract

The aim of the research was to determine the reasons why students enroll in undergraduate nursing studies and in what way the students' age, type of studies and familiarity with the profession affect their selection.In total, 156 first-and second-year nursing students between the ages of 18-30 participated in the study that was carried out at the University of Applied Health Sciences in Zagreb. The students had to answer multiple choice questions about their personal reasons for choosing nursing studies and were offered four different reasons as possible answers.Most students chose idealism as the reason for choosing nursing studies (46.2%), regardless of whether they were full-time or part-time students. Students who had not attended a secondary nursing school mainly choose materialism as the reason (20.0%). Furthermore, the choice of idealism decreases with the students who had already attended a different university (34.8%), while for the first-time students the choice of the same reason increases (48.1%).For almost half of the interviewed students, humanity, ethics, and the desire to help are the reasons why they chose nursing studies, while 30.8% of the interviewed students selected materialism as the main reason. It is interesting that regardless of the type of reason the students chose, 95.5% concluded that they still want to work in the nursing profession in the future. Only a handful of students opted not to -62 choose any of the given answers, but chose to describe their own reason themselves. It is pointed out that only one student responded to the question by saying, "Because I felt the calling." Choosing Nursing as a ProfessionCroat Nurs J. 2018; 2(1): 53-62 54 Kolar K. et al. Choosing Nursing as a Profession Croat Nurs J. 2018; 2(1): 53The research was based on four reasons for choosing nursing as a profession: idealism, materialism, heritage, and choosing it as their second choice. In the fifth question they had to choose one of the following reasons: idealism, materialism, heritage, or second choice. They were given the definition of every option to make sure that they would choose the right one, based on their subjective understanding of nursing as a profession.

Differences in Burnout Aspects in Croatian Nursing Students – A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Overall, our results show that burnout syndrome is prevalent among Croatian nursing students, which is in line with findings from previous studies conducted in other countries (18). This suggests that burnout is not only an issue for practicing nurses but also a significant concern for nursing students during their education because a large proportion of students cite idealism as a personal reason for choosing their studies (46.2%), regardless of whether they are full-time or part-time (19). The high prevalence of burnout in this population may have long-term consequences for the nursing profession, as it could negatively impact students' well-being, academic performance, and ultimately, their retention in the nursing workforce.…”

Influential factors on the internalization of professional values among nurses: a qualitative study

“…In line with our ndings, a study showed that students are exposed to professional values during their university education [23]. Several studies also reported that factors such as income and job security affected individuals' decision to enter nursing [42][43][44]. Another study reported the higher score of professional values among students who had considered congruence of nursing with their goals at the time of entering nursing [45].…”

Correlation Between Satisfaction with the Field of Study and Clinical Competence in Nursing Students

“…The professional future, income, and economic status, increased interest in entering the field, and serving the people were the most common reasons for satisfaction with the field of nursing. Kolar et al declared that 46.2% of students chose nursing because of their desire for care and human ethics and 30.8% for financial reasons, such as financial stability and the high chance of finding a job, and in 88% of students, nursing was the first choice of study field (35). According to Mooney et al, the main reasons for choosing nursing were job security, fixed income, and easy to access to various job opportunities (36).…”