title: Geographical imbalances: migration patterns of new graduate nurses and factors related to working in non-metropolitan hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine geographical imbalances by analyzing new graduate nurses' migration patterns among regions where they grew up, attended nursing school, and had their first employment and to identify factors related to working in non-metropolitan areas.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 507 new graduates working in hospitals as full-time registered nurses in South Korea. Migration patterns were categorized into 5 patterns based on sequential transitions of "geographic origin-nursing school-hospital." Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with working in non-metropolitan hospitals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nurses who grew up, graduated, and worked in the same region accounted for the greatest proportion (54%). Sixty-five percent had their first employment in the region where they graduated. Nurses tended to move from poor to rich regions and from non-metropolitan to metropolitan areas. Working in non-metropolitan hospitals was related to older age, the father having completed less than 4 years of college education, non-metropolitan origin, non-capital city school graduation, and a diploma (vs. baccalaureate) degree.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Admitting students with rural backgrounds, increasing rural nursing school admission capacities, and providing service-requiring scholarships, particularly for students from low-income families, are recommended to address geographical imbalances.
authors: College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. sunghcho@snu.ac.kr
authors: Sung Hyun
authors: SH
authors: Cho
authors: Ji Yun
authors: JY
authors: Lee
authors: Barbara A
authors: BA
authors: Mark
authors: Han Yi
authors: HY
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004508:Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006780:Hospitals, Rural; D006786:Hospitals, Urban; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D011203:Poverty; D011365:Professional Practice Location
keywords: Geographic; Imbalance; Migration; Mobility; Nurses