Nursing Students’ Awareness of Nursing and Future Career

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate nursing students’ awareness of nursing and future career according to school years and gender.

Method: Data was collected using a self-report questionnaire from October to December, 2007. Participants were 279 second year and 250 fourth year nursing students from 6 universities located in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheong-do, Gangwon-do, Jeonla-do, and Gyeongsang-do.

Result: 1) The senior showed higher scores in ’a job with plenty of spare time’, and ’good possibilities to be promoted’ than the sophomore. Otherwise the senior students showed lower score in ’possibilities for part-time working’ than the sophomore. 2) The senior showed higher scores in ’cooperative relationship’, ’physical health’, and ’contribution to nursing’ than the sophomore. But in ’nursing skill’, the senior showed lower score than the sophomore. 3) There were significant differences in wanting department, wanting graduate school, and major obstacles for the longer working between the sophomore and senior. 4) Male students were lower academic performance than female. 5) There were significant differences ’a job with social reputation’, and ’contribution to nursing’ by gender.

Conclusion: These results suggest it’s important that nursing educators make nursing students improve their job professionalism and guide nursing students’ future career in view of students’ gender and school year.