title: [Characteristics of nursing students attending the University Courses for Nursing Diploma at Trento: reasons for their choices in the first trimester].
abstract: Motivations and reasons for the choice of the nursing course were explored in the students applying for the university nursing courses from 1995 to 1998. Aim of the study was to trace a picture of students' characteristics but also to have elements to promote campaigns for increasing the number of applicants. Overall, 183 first year students (70 in 1995; 60 in 1996 and 53 in 1997) were administered a questionnaire with questions related to socioanagraphic data, reasons for the choice of the University Diploma in Nursing Sciences (DUSI) and aspects of the nursing profession considered positive and negative. The 87% of the students had previous work experiences, more than 20% in the health field and a larger number in the social field. The main reasons for choosing the DUSI are the strong connections between theory and practice and the opportunity of working soon after the course. Fifty per cent of the students make definitely up their mind on the final choice of becoming a nurse during the course: in fact only 55% of the students are moderately-strongly convinced of practising the nursing profession when they enter the curriculum. The data are commented on with special attention to the implications for the contents and strategies of a campaign or ad hoc initiatives aimed at increasing the number of students that apply to the nursing courses.
authors.affiliation: Facoltà di Sociologia, Università degli Studi di Trento.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castelli
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saiani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D003479:Curriculum; D003657:Decision Making; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D012579:Schools, Nursing; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires