title: Perceptions of nursing as a career choice of students in the Baccalaureate nursing program.
abstract: Schools of nursing must recruit and retain qualified applicants in order to confront the current challenge to nursing resources. Perceptions of nursing have been linked to students' decisions to enter the nursing profession and to continue in or withdraw from nursing programs. As part of an on-going longitudinal study in Canada, the nursing attitude questionnaire and nursing orientation tool were used to explore the perceptions of nursing of 213 beginning and 150 graduating students in a Baccalaureate nursing program. Overall, both groups of students held a positive image of nursing. There were however, significant differences between the groups in their orientation to nursing as well as their views on nursing roles, education, political issues, and the value of nursing as a profession. Implications for recruitment of nursing students are presented.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Nursing Studies, Southcott Hall, 100 Forest Road, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada A1A 1E5. pgrainger@cns.nf.ca
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grainger
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bolan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002321:Career Choice; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009523:Newfoundland and Labrador; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009729:Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015402:Nursing Education Research; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D010560:Personnel Selection; D011057:Politics; D012938:Social Perception; D012945:Social Values; D013332:Student Dropouts / Q000523:psychology; D013338:Students, Nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors