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Nursing is the largest healthcare profession, bringing to question what entices individuals to study and practice nursing for a lifetime. In the past, similar studies have shown numerous factors influencing the nursing career choice including themes of caring and a desire to help, in addition to many other socio-personal influences. These findings support the idea that nurses are driven by a variety of factors. Several studies were conducted in other parts of the world whereas literature did not present any study conducted in the past 10 years in the American setting. This gap in literature were identified and the purpose of this pilot study was to identify and describe factors that influence a person to choose nursing as a career.
Methods:
A cross sectional descriptive design was used to conduct this study. Faculty and students in the nursing department of a medium sized University were the participants. Institutional review board approved the study. Researchers designed a statistical survey utilizing Qualtrics software to interpret the influences that affect individuals to become a nurse. The survey was distributed through email, Desire2Learn, and Facebook to the University nursing students and faculty (n=41). The participants completed the survey questionnaire, which asked them specific and generalized questions about the factors influencing and motivating their nursing career choice. Researchers collected data and completed a preliminary analysis.
Results:
Upon reviewing the completed survey data, the researchers found that most people at this university chose nursing with a desire to help others and because of the career’s flexibility. With further analysis of data from people with various levels of experience, the researchers will better understand the reasoning behind choosing nursing.
Conclusion:
Nurses have a variety of reasons for choosing the career. Some influences remain common among many nurses, while other nurses have their own personal reasons. Being aware of individual factors leads to better collaboration and help maintain a healthy work environment. Identifying individual factors may help administrators and nurse leaders to detect why people leave the profession early in their career and reduce burnout.