Employment intention and career planning of male nursing students in different levels of colleges and universities: A qualitative study

The paths of career aspiration for intern nursing students: A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

AIM

This study was conducted to explore the combination of different conditional variables that led to high career aspiration of intern nursing students.

BACKGROUND

A severe shortage of nurses exists nationwide, and nurses' low career aspiration contribute to high turnover rates and hinder the high-quality development of the nursing field. Nursing students undergoing clinical practice will become the backbone of future nursing staff. Enhancing their career aspiration is crucial for developing nursing career education and stabilizing the nursing team.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study. Using the cluster sampling method, 521 intern nursing students from Henan and Anhui in China were selected as participants from December 2023 to January 2024.

METHODS

This study employed the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore the configuration for paths of leading to high career aspiration among intern nursing students. General information questionnaires, career aspiration scale, clinical practice maladjustment scale, self-reflection and insight scale were used as measures in this study.

RESULTS

The results showed that students' origin, professional attitude, GPA, self-reflection and insight, relationship with preceptors and clinical practice maladjustment have a combined effect on career aspiration. This study found that eight configuration combined into four models could explain 75.9 % of high-level career aspiration (solution consistency = 0.786; solution coverage = 0.759).

CONCLUSION

The level of career aspiration among intern nursing students is the result of the combination of different conditional variables. Using a configurational perspective to intervene in nursing students with various characteristics is expected to enhance the career aspiration of intern nursing students.

The influence of organizational agility on nurses` career planning: nurses` grit as a mediating factor

BACKGROUND

Organizational agility is the cornerstone of the complex dynamics for the success of healthcare organizations and the sustenance of nurses' career planning and professional development.

AIM

Assess the organizational agility and the extent of nurses' career planning. It also sought to investigate the association between the two and the intermediating function that nurses` grit plays in this association.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional descriptive design following STROBE guidelines was carried out.

METHODS AND TOOLS

Data were collected from 300 nurses who made up the entire population sample that we used (a judgmental non-probability sampling technique) working across all in-patient care units at Itay El-Baroud General Hospital, in El Behaira governorate, using structured questionnaires as follows: the organizational agility questionnaire, the career planning scale, and the grit scale. The sociodemographic characteristics of the studied nurses were also collected. Statistical analyses were used to analyze the data, including ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and SEM, to determine whether career development may act as a mediator between organizational agility and the nurses' career planning.

RESULTS

Rendering the findings of this study, more than half of nurses have a high perception regarding organizational agility and career planning. In contrast, the majority of them have a moderate perception regarding grit. In addition, there is a statistically high significant relationship between organizational agility and career planning. Also, there is a statistically high significant relationship between organizational agility and grit. There is a statistically high significant relationship between career planning and grit.

CONCLUSION

The statistically substantial correlations among grit, career planning, and organizational agility demonstrate how interrelated they are. This implies that encouraging organizational flexibility and effective career planning techniques may have a good impact on nurses' resilience, which would ultimately result in a workforce of nurses who are more resilient and engaged. Additional investigation into the precise mechanisms behind these associations may yield important information for improving nurse wellbeing and retention.

NURSING IMPLICATIONS

According to this study, putting organizational agility and career planning first can have a good impact on nurses' grit, which will make them more resilient and engaged workers. To encourage flexibility and growth among nurses, healthcare institutions should make training investments, provide clear career tracks, and support work-life balance. More investigation into the precise mechanisms underlying these connections may yield insightful information that improves nurse well-being and retention. The importance of organizational agility in creating a supportive work environment for nurses' career growth should be acknowledged by healthcare companies. This can lead to increased job satisfaction and lower turnover.

Internship and postgraduate entrance examination: A qualitative study on the psychological experience of undergraduate nursing students under dual pressure in China

Background

With the development of nursing positions and nursing disciplines in China's tertiary hospitals, the number of people applying for the master's degree in nursing is also increasing year by year. Postgraduate examinations are held during internship, so nursing students face the dual pressure of testing and internship, which brings varying degrees of negative experiences and emotional fluctuations.

Objective

To explore the psychological experiences and influencing factors of undergraduate nursing students under the dual pressures of clinical nursing internships and postgraduate examination preparations.

Design

Descriptive qualitative study.

Method

Purposeful sampling was used to recruit 18 participants from eight tertiary hospitals in China between October and December 2023. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted, with interview recordings transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was then applied to the data.

Results

Four themes were identified: negative experiences under dual pressures, coping mechanisms for negative experiences, motivational effects under dual pressures, and evaluations of significant individuals. Nursing students improved their overall abilities through internships and exam preparations, gaining a clear understanding of themselves and certain hospital roles. However, at this stage, students also experienced adverse psychological experiences for various reasons. Thus, they employed several methods to alleviate their psychological stress, aiming for a better state to face internships and exam preparations.

Conclusion

Schools and hospitals should pay more attention to the needs of nursing students under dual pressures, monitoring their emotional states, and providing psychological support to enhance their stress-coping abilities. It is important to ensure the overall well-being of students while strengthening the motivational effects of internships and learning experiences.

Professional values education for undergraduate nursing students: developing a framework based on the professional values growth theory

BACKGROUND

Education has been recognised as necessary in forming and internalising professional values. The system and instructors' content in existing educational institutions focus on developing students' knowledge, skills and practices. Still, the development of values has yet to achieve significant effects, leading to a crisis in students' professional identity.

AIMS

To construct a professional values growth theory for undergraduate nursing students and develop a corresponding education framework.

METHODS

Through the review, some databases(PubMed、CINAHL、Web of Science、Wiley and Google Scholars)were searched using a systematic search strategy to collect relevant literature on professional values education. Based on the nursing professional values growth theory (Li and Li, Nursing Ethics In press, 2022), a theory of professional values growth of nursing undergraduates was developed using the method of theory derivation. Two rounds of expert meetings were conducted to review and revise an education framework of professional values of nursing undergraduates derived from that theory.

FINDINGS

A total of 10 studies were included. The contents of two themes were analysed: theories and models and the current status of the professional values development of nursing students. The resulting professional values growth theory for undergraduate nursing students consists of five parts: key aspects, decisive opportunities, drivers, embodiment (humanistic sentiments, moral emotions), and outcomes. A total of five experts in the relevant fields were invited to this study. After two rounds of expert meetings, an education framework for undergraduate nursing students was finally developed, which consists of four parts: education objectives, education process and content, environment and conditions, and evaluation.

CONCLUSION

The education framework developed in this study has practical implications for the development of professional values of undergraduate nursing students, providing educational strategies and methods for the growth and internalisation of professional values of undergraduate nursing students.

Implementation and effectiveness of a nurse navigation programme based on noddings' care theory in first-year undergraduate nursing students for professional identity and career planning: A quasi-experimental study

AIMS

Development and evaluation of the effectiveness of a Nurse Navigation programme based on Noddings' Care theory on two dependent variables which were professional identity and career planning among first-year undergraduate nursing students.

BACKGROUND

First-year undergraduate nursing students generally have a low sense of professional identity and career planning, resulting in a loss of nursing power after graduation. Implemention of a Nurse Navigation program based on Noddings' Care theory may be potentially useful in cultivating their professional identity and career planning.

DESIGN

A quasi-experimental study.

METHODS

A convenience sample of 122 first-year undergraduate nursing students from two medical universities was recruited between September 2021 and June 2022. Students in the experimental group (n = 63) participated in the Nurse Navigation programme based on Noddings' Care theory, which contained four core components, spreading over 50 lessons. Those in the control group (n = 59) underwent a traditional training programme with five components across 44 lessons. The two groups were compared in terms of their level of professional identity by Professional identity questionnaire for nurse students (PIQNS) and career planning by Career planning questionnaire (CPQ) after the training using the t-test.

RESULTS

The mean score of professional identity in the experimental group increased significantly from 51.02 ± 8.46 at baseline to 58.02 ± 8.81 after the intervention (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (Cohen's d=0.810). Also, this post-intervention score was statistically significantly higher than that (52.86 ± 9.27) in the control group (p = 0.002), with a medium effect size (Cohen's d=0.571). The mean score of career planning in the experimental group increased significantly from 81.76 ± 9.86 at baseline to 94.52 ± 10.81 after the intervention (p < 0.001), with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.233). Also, this post-intervention score was statistically significantly higher than that (88.25 ± 9.30) in the control group (p < 0.001), with a medium effect size (Cohen's d=0.623).

CONCLUSIONS

The Nurse Navigation programme based on Noddings' Care theory showed effectiveness in enhancing professional identity and career planning among first-year undergraduate nursing students in China. Further rigorous studies are needed to examine its effectiveness and long-term impacts on these students.