Abstract

What will keep nursing graduates in the long-term nursing care profession?

Author(s): Keren Grinberg

Objectives:

To examine the factors related to the nursing students’ image toward the nursing profession
and the correlation with their intention to stay in the nursing profession.
Methods: A cross-sectional study included 223 nursing students. A structured questionnaire was used to
collect data and contained five sections: Sociodemographic background, Nursing students’ self-image,
Image of the nursing profession, Altruism questionnaire, Intentions to stay in the profession and wish for
promotion after graduation.
Results: A significant correlation (r=.65, p<.001) was found between the students’ image of the nurses’
roles and the image of the nursing profession. The higher the level of the image of the nurses’ roles,
the higher the image of the nursing profession by the nursing students. Furthermore, a significant
positive correlation was found in the Pearson test (image nurse profession; r=.34, p<.001); (Image
nurse roles; r=.20, p<.001) between the nursing students’ wish for promotion and their image of
the nursing roles and their profession. The higher the wish for promotion, the higher the image of
nursing roles and nursing image profession. Two significant predictors of the intention to stay in the
profession were found: (1) The wish for promotion and (2) The nurses’ role image. Nursing students, who
have a positive image of the nursing profession, will want to remain and promote in the profession.
Conclusions: There is a worldwide critical nursing shortage which is partially attributed to the public image
of nursing. nursing students, who have a positive image of the nursing profession and have aspirations
for professional development, will want to remain in the profession. It is also possible to assume that
the students are pleased with their studies, and it should be a recommendation for nursing educators to
find ways to promote the nursing image among the students and to present the multiple opportunities
for advancement in the profession. Nursing educators must pursue ways to encourage their graduate
students to stay in the nursing profession, during the studies and the clinical practice and should, therefore,
help students recognize nursing career opportunities and support them in planning their careers.