Nursing – why? Students’ motives for choosing nursing as a field of education

Abstract

Introduction. The decision on a course of study related to the profession of choice is a milestone in many people’s life. The choice of nursing is determined by various reasons and values which can influence both the involvement and satisfaction of students with their education and later, professional life.Aim. To learn the reasons and values behind choosing nursing education.Material and methods. The survey was performed in January 2019 on a group of 223 1st grade nursing students at the Medical University of Warsaw. The survey used an original questionnaire and the standardized List of Personal Values (PVL) by Z. Jurczyński.Results. Within the group of participating students – 34.1% chose nursing as their first recruitment choice of studies. The majority justified their choice with the will to help others and the need to acquire higher education. The personal values declared by the students were mostly love, friendship and good health, physical and mental fitness. The meaning of ”good material conditions” as a token of personal happiness (p=0.005) was more often declared by students for whom nursing was not the first choice of education.Conclusions. Only a third of the respondents chose nursing education consciously. The most commonly declared reason behind the choice of nursing profession was the will to help other people. Students, who chose nursing as their one and only education less frequently declared the importance of good material conditions as a symbol of personal happiness.