Career preferences of nursing students

The influence of prior work experience in aged care on nursing students' views on aged care nursing: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Nursing students' experiences during clinical training in aged care placements is a well-studied topic. However, there is less research on the connection between nursing students' prior experiences as assistants in nursing (AIN) and their perception of aged care nursing.

AIM

The aim of this study was to identify and synthesize undergraduate nursing students' experiences as working as AIN in aged care settings.

METHOD

A systematic review was carried out by searching the CINAHL, Scopus, Medline and Medic databases, supplemented by manual searches. The searches focused on peer-reviewed scientific empirical research articles published in English, with a 10-year date limitation. The data were analysed by the qualitative content method.

RESULTS

The review identified 11 articles, which showed that nursing students' prior work experience shifts their perceptions of older adults' care. The findings were organized under four major themes. Through their employment as AIN, (1) nursing students' ability to reflect and develop skills needed in clinical work strengthened, (2) they became aware of the independent role of the nurse, (3) they feel part of the workplace community and (4) they recognized their feelings and views about aged care as a career.

CONCLUSION

Students' work experience in aged care helps them to observe aged care settings as a unique set up and nursing comprehensively from the perspective of an older adult's care needs and they can observe the dynamics of a workplace community. They can see many positive features in working in aged care and assess their experience with positive descriptions.

Nursing students' knowledge and attitudes toward older adults

Nursing students, as the future healthcare workforce, hold immense potential in providing quality care to older adults and becoming advocates for promoting aging and public health, thus contributing significantly to addressing the multifaceted challenges of our aging society. Nurses' knowledge and attitudes about aging affect health care quality. Negative and unattractive representations of the social problems associated with aging contaminate nursing students' attitudes. Nursing schools are challenged to develop new curricula to prepare future nurses for the inherent complexity of an aging society. This study aims to assess the knowledge and attitudes of nursing students toward older adults and identify the variables that can influence these attitudes. Quantitative research was carried out through the application of an online survey using a cross-sectional descriptive research design. A total of 182 nursing students completed the online survey. Progression in the nursing course was statistically significant; the more students advanced, the more positive attitudes and knowledge they revealed about aging; 39% of students have daily contact with their grandparents; however, only 14.8% would like to work with older adults. Multiple linear regression revealed that the most important factor for positive attitudes and knowledge about aging was regular contact with grandparents, followed by progression in the nursing course. The students' age was not a significant factor in improving attitudes or expanding knowledge regarding older adults. In a multidimensional logic, the deepening of knowledge about aging and the socialization of students with older adults are central factors that should reinforce curricula in nursing education.

Ageism and nursing students, past or reality?: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

This systematic review aimed to summarise and update existing knowledge about ageism among nursing students through the following research question: what is the perception and attitudes of ageism among student nurses?

DESIGN

A systematic review of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies of ageism in nursing students was carried out.

DATA SOURCES

The literature search was conducted in the scientific databases Pubmed and Scopus in February 2021.

REVIEW METHODS

After the screening process, 22 studies meeting the selection criteria were selected; 8 more were identified after manually searching the selected paper' reference lists. A total of 30 studies were included in the review. The JBI Critical Appraisal Checklists for Analytical Cross-Sectional studies and for Cohort Studies were used to appraise the articles' quality.

RESULTS

There was large variability in the manifestation of ageism among student nurses, as well as in the instruments used for assessment. Most of the articles analysed attitudes towards old age, the majority of which were positive. Being a female student, being on the final year of study and having regular contact or cohabitation with an older adult were three of the main determinants in the expression of positive attitudes towards the elderly.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that student nurses generally have positive attitudes towards old age, although ageist beliefs and discriminatory behaviours were identified and should be studied in greater depth. Training programs for future care professionals have a responsibility to educate from a non-stereotypical perspective based on current societal needs.

Student nurses' career preferences for working with people with dementia: A longitudinal cohort study

BACKGROUND

Internationally there are too few suitably skilled registered nurses to meet the demands for dementia care. Research has established low preferences in undergraduate nursing students for working with older people. However, there is limited research on preferences for dementia care. Understanding career preferences is one component of ensuring future workforce capacity.

OBJECTIVE

To assess student nurses' preferences during undergraduate training in relation to working with people with dementia.

METHODS

Data from a longitudinal survey collected at two UK universities were analysed (n = 488). Measures included career preferences, demographics, participation in a dementia educational intervention, and measures of attitude, knowledge, and empathy to dementia. Open text responses were also included to explore the students' reasons for their preferences.

RESULTS

The preference for working with older people and people with dementia was low and decreased during training. A linear regression analysis supports a strong relationship of preferences with attitudes to dementia. Content analysis of students' reasons for their preferences found that perceived difficulty and lack of confidence contributes to the negative evaluation of working with people with dementia.

CONCLUSION

Undergraduate nursing education needs to continue to review its contribution to preparing the dementia workforce and act to support positive attitudes to working with people with dementia across nursing specialties.

Preferences of newly qualified healthcare professionals for working with people with dementia: a qualitative study

Background

there is little research on preferences in students and newly qualified healthcare professionals for working with people with dementia. Understanding the development of these preferences can help inform strategies to increase workforce capacity in response to current suboptimal dementia care and the increasing numbers of people with dementia.

Objective

to explore the factors that influence career preferences in relation to working with people with dementia. Specifically, to understand how these factors relate to early career doctors’ and nurses’ preferences and how they influence decisions and perspectives on their careers.

Methods

qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with 27 newly qualified doctors and nurses within 2 years of graduation. This included a subset of participants that had taken part in a dementia educational intervention during their undergraduate training. Transcripts were analysed using grounded theory methods.

Results

the results present six main categories representing complex interlinked factors influencing preferences for working with people with dementia as well as exploring the definition of a career working with people with dementia. The factors include the importance of making a difference; seeing dementia care as a different type of care; its perceived alignment with personal characteristics; perceptions of people with dementia; care environments and career characteristics.

Discussion

this is the first study to explore the factors influencing preferences for working with people with dementia in newly qualified healthcare professionals. It provides useful data to inform workforce planning, and curriculum and practice development to stimulate interest and drive improved quality of care.

Are Cooperatives an Employment Option? A Job Preference Study of Millennial University Students

Millennials represent the most important group among the working age population. Destined to be the leaders of the future, their professional and personal profiles differ considerably from previous generations. Despite being considered as the most successful generation, millennials face a societal transformation and a labor reality marked by high levels of unemployment and underemployment that shape their career choice. Although millennials’ and university students’ job preferences have long been debated in the literature, some research gaps remain. Studies rarely consider the interplay between individuals’ profiles and the institutional form of business, particularly cooperative versus non cooperative options. To predict the compatibility between Millennials’ profiles and the cooperative job preference, a multinomial logit model is developed based on a survey of millennial business college students. Our key findings showed that some extrinsic issues are related to cooperative job preference, however the factor that has the most significant impact is the cooperative knowledge. This has important implications for the cooperative movement and for policy makers in charge of cooperative development.

Preferences of nursing and medical students for working with older adults and people with dementia: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

A current issue in workforce planning is ensuring healthcare professionals are both competent and willing to work with older adults with complex needs. This includes dementia care, which is widely recognised as a priority. Yet research suggests that working with older people is unattractive to undergraduate healthcare students.

METHODS

The aim of this systematic review and narrative synthesis is to explore the factors related to healthcare (medical and nursing) student preferences' for working with older people and people with dementia. Searches were conducted in five databases: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINHAL, BNI, ERIC. Screening, data extraction and quality appraisal were conducted by two independent reviewers. A narrative, data-based convergent synthesis was conducted.

RESULTS

One thousand twenty-four papers were screened (139 full texts) and 62 papers were included for a narrative synthesis. Factors were grouped into seven categories; student characteristics, experiences of students, course characteristics, career characteristics, patient characteristics, work characteristics and the theory of planned behaviour.

CONCLUSION

Health educators should review their role in cultivating student interest in working with older adults, with consideration of student preparation and the perceived value of this work. There is a lack of evidence about the career preferences of students in relation to dementia, and this warrants further research.

"Where would I prefer to work after graduation?" Career preferences of students attending Italian nursing schools

BACKGROUND

Worldwide, nursing students have reported a preference for working in intensive care, paediatrics, and operating theatres after graduation, disregarding psychiatry and geriatrics. Many factors can influence student choices. Educators need to know students' preferences and influencing factors in order to plan appropriate interventions to orient future nurses towards the clinical areas that are most in need of trained and motivated nurses.

OBJECTIVES

To identify career preferences and student-related factors that influence the career intentions of students attending Italian nursing schools.

DESIGN

A cross sectional design.

SETTING

The study was conducted in 14 Italian nursing schools.

PARTICIPANTS

Students enrolled on a three-year undergraduate nursing program were invited to participate.

METHODS

A questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic data and clinical area preferences. A multivariate binary logistic regression was performed to identify the student characteristics influencing career choices.

RESULTS

1534 students were enrolled in the study. Students preferred working in paediatrics, emergency departments and operating theatres, and these preferences were consistent in all of the three years. Psychiatry and geriatrics were the clinical areas least preferred in all the three years. Age, gender, nationality, and university attended were the factors that predicted students' preferences for specific clinical areas.

CONCLUSIONS

In line with international literature, students attending Italian nursing schools expressed preferences for working in some clinical areas and to disregard others. Nursing curricula and internships need to be reviewed in terms of declared and hidden curriculum in order to enable students to view all areas of practice as equally valuable.

Learning about the experience of living with chronic conditions: A framework analysis of nursing students' reflections on their conversations with older adults

Preparing nursing students to work effectively with older adults is an important element of undergraduate nursing education. Reflective journals written as course assignments represent a source of data about students' learning. The aim of this study was to analyze nursing students' reflective journals based on conversations with older adults who are community dwelling, to identify learning in relation to experiences of living with a chronic condition. This was one element of a wider study to evaluate learning partnerships between older adults who are community dwelling and nursing students as an alternative to traditional clinical placements in long-term care settings. Nursing students worked with faculty to complete a qualitative secondary analysis of 47 journals utilizing framework analysis. Students learned about three main aspects of living with chronic conditions: beliefs about chronic conditions, managing chronic conditions, and experiencing chronic conditions, with some evidence that these themes may be interconnected. Findings suggest that learning partnerships with older adults combined with reflective journaling enable nursing students to understand the experience of chronic conditions in later life as reflected within current literature and to identify interventions for gerontological nursing practice. Enabling nursing students to recognize the highly skilled nature of working with older adults with chronic illness has the potential to influence their future career choices.

The effect of first clinical assignments on prelicensure nursing students' attitudes toward older people: an observational study

BACKGROUND

With the global population growth of older people, health care needs nurses interested in caring for this population. Studies have found a relationship between attitudes toward older people and career choices.

AIM

The aim of this study was to determine the effect first clinical experiences had on nursing students' attitudes toward older people.

DESIGN/METHOD

Using an observational research design, first-semester nursing students (n = 53) from the United States were assigned to one of two groups based on sequencing of clinical assignments. Participants completed the Refined Aging Semantic Differential scale three times their first semester.

RESULTS

Students with exposure to long-term and then the acute care setting showed linear improvement in their attitudes toward older people. In addition, a significant improvement in attitudes over time was found (F[2, 96] = 3.56, p = .032) at two time measurements.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that novice students may not recognize the differences in acute and long-term nursing care. Results may assist nursing educators designing curricula.

From apprehension to advocacy: a qualitative study of undergraduate nursing student experience in clinical placement in residential aged care

Background

Undergraduate nursing placement in aged care is forecast to grow in importance with the increasing aging population, and to help to reverse trends in student lack of interest in gerontology careers. However, there is a need to better understand undergraduate nursing students’ experiences on placement with older adults, as well as key features of quality learning within residential aged care. The aim of this study was to explore how nursing students understand learning within residential aged care.

Methods

This qualitative study used a participatory action research approach, and this paper reports on the thematic analysis of data from one cycle of undergraduate nursing placement in a Canadian residential aged care setting, with two groups of 7–8 students and two university instructors. Staff and residents at the research site were also included. Researchers interviewed both groups of students prior to and after placement. Instructors, staff and residents were interviewed post placement.

Results

Students commenced placement full of apprehension, and progressed in their learning by taking initiative and through self-directed learning pathways. Engagement with residents was key to student learning on person-centred care and increased understanding of older adults. Students faced challenges to their learning through limited exposure to professional nursing roles and healthcare aide/student relationship issues. By placement end, students had gained unique insights on resident care and began to step into advocacy roles.

Conclusions

In learning on placement within residential aged care, students moved from feelings of apprehension to taking on advocacy roles for residents. Better formalizing routes for students to feedback their unique understandings on resident care could ensure their contributions are better integrated and not lost when placements end.

Factors Influencing New RNs’ Supervisory Performance in Long-Term Care Facilities

Dans les établissements de soins de longue durée (ÉSLD), les infirmières autorisées (IAs) exercent à la fois des fonctions cliniques et de supervision en tant que membres d’une équipe visant à dispenser des soins de grande qualité aux résidents. Les résidents sont affectés par plusieurs comorbidités et leurs besoins en matière de soins sont complexes. Malheureusement, les infirmières nouvellement agréées ne reçoivent que peu de formation en gérontologie et leur expérience de supervision est minimale, ce qui entraîne de faibles taux de rétention et affecte les résultats chez les patients. Cette étude qualitative a exploré les facteurs influençant l’expérience de supervision des nouvelles IA en ÉSLD à porter d’un échantillon de 24 participants en Ontario (Canada). Les données ont été recueillies par la voie d’entrevues individuelles, et une analyse de contenu directe fut réalisée. Trois niveaux d’influence ont été identifiés : influences personnelles, influences organisationnelles et influences externes. Chacun des niveaux présentait des sous-éléments qui décrivaient plus précisément les facteurs ayant de l’impact sur la performance de la nouvelle IA en supervision. La rétention des nouvelles IA en ÉSLD nécessiterait la mise en place d’une formation additionnelle en gérontologie et d’un processus de mentorat par ces organisations, afin d’assurer le développement de leurs rôles de supervision.

Nursing students' attitudes toward persons who are aged: An integrative review

OBJECTIVES

To analyze empirical studies from the United States and Canada to gain an understanding on how nursing education affects nursing students' attitudes toward persons who are aged.

DESIGN

An integrative literature review was completed using Garrard's (2011) Matrix Method.

DATA SOURCES

Articles were identified through the electronic database search engines of CINAHL, Pub Med, and Academic Search Complete. Only peer reviewed research articles from 2009 to 2015 were reviewed.

REVIEW METHODS

A review matrix was created to abstract information from 11 studies so that synthesis could occur. Information in the columns of the review matrix was used to compare the studies. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 27 item check list was used to help with reporting the findings. Studies were graded using the American Association of Critical Care Nurses' (AACN) level of evidence.

RESULTS

A key finding is student engagement with gerontological content in the classroom or clinical setting results in improving nursing students' attitudes toward persons who are aged.

CONCLUSIONS

Several gaps exist in the literature. Further research including longitudinal studies and large scale, multi-site samples would add to the existing knowledge.

Incorporating Peplau’s Theory of Interpersonal Relations to Promote Holistic Communication Between Older Adults and Nursing Students

With the increased life expectancy, older adults will interact with multiple health care providers to manage acute and chronic conditions. These interactions include nursing students who use various health care settings to meet the clinical practicum requirements of their programs. Nursing faculty are charged with facilitating students’ learning throughout the program from basic human needs, to holistic communication, to advanced medical surgical concepts. Despite educating students on holistic communication, there remains a lack of a reliable framework to undertake the task of teaching holistic communication skills. Nursing students preparing to function as licensed practitioners need to develop appropriate knowledge to holistically care for older adults. The purpose of this article is to examine Hildegard Peplau’s interpersonal relations theory as a framework to assist nursing students to understand holistic communication skills during their encounters with older adults. Peplau’s theory provides nursing a useful set of three interlocking and oftentimes overlapping working phases for nurses’ interaction with patients in the form of the nurse–patient relationship. Nursing education could adopt the three phases of Peplau’s interpersonal relations theory to educate students on holistically communicating with older adults.

Canadian Nursing Students and the Care of Older Patients: How Is Geriatric Nursing Perceived?

The aim of this research was to contribute to an understanding about the professionalization of gerontological nursing. The specific objective was to explore attitudes about older people among undergraduate nursing students. Three focus groups were carried out with 3rd-year nursing students in a generalist program in a small Canadian city and discussions focused on experiences and attitudes surrounding the care of older patients. A qualitative descriptive approach was used to analyze the verbatim transcripts. Results indicated that students had positive reactions to caring for older patients, at least when dementia is not present, but they received a strong message from their mentors that this type of nursing is neither prestigious nor valued. Discussions surrounding the care of older adults highlighted students' perceptions of conflicts between the art and science of nursing, and their concerns regarding the divisions of tasks between nursing students, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses.