Beliefs, attitudes and perceived practice among newly enrolled students at the Jordanian Ministry of Health nursing colleges and institutes in 2003.
BACKGROUND
This study investigates beginning Jordanian nursing students' level of awareness and attitudes toward the nursing profession, their expected future practices and their anticipated reactions when faced with challenging hypothetical situations, together with any correlation between these variables and the students' sex, age and social status.


METHODS
The cross-sectional, descriptive methodology was applied to a population of 330 male and female students enrolled at the first year level of associate nursing at two Ministry of Health (MOH) training institutions in November 2003.


RESULTS
A student's personal desire to become a nurse accounted for only 31.0% of the total, while 69.0% began a nursing career because of other reasons, such as family or economic pressures. There was no correlation between the student's gender, high-school public certificate average, or socio-economic condition and the decision to become a nurse. Upon graduation, 30.0% of students would prefer to work at hospitals, 19.0% at emergency rooms, 21.0% at an ambulatory health center and 26.0% in administrative positions. Females favoured working at health centres over males (24.8% vs. 12.1%, respectively), while more males favoured working in administrative positions than females (30.8% and 23.5%, respectively). Analysis of students' expected reactions to various challenging encounters with a patient showed that approximately 50% would react in a less than professional manner.


CONCLUSIONS
Curricular emphasis should be placed on expanding and raising nursing students' awareness of their responsibilities toward patients, especially in challenging or difficult situations, and on improving their concept of nursing as a profession.
Jrasat
Manal
M
Ministry of Health, Amman, Jordan. jrasat@hotmail.com
Samawi
Osama
O
Wilson
Calvin
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002321:Career Choice; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004993:Ethics, Nursing; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007597:Jordan; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D012737:Sex Factors; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*