A comparison of student motivation in selecting bachelors of nursing or paediatric nursing at an Italian university

The impact of care experience prior to commencing pre-registration nurse education and training: A scoping review

OBJECTIVES

Compassion in nursing and interventions to support it are of international relevance and concern. Prior care experience as a prerequisite for entry into pre-registration nurse education is suggested as a means of improving compassion. The impact of prior care experience has not been comprehensively reviewed, therefore the potential effectiveness of prior care experience as a means of improving compassion is unknown. The scoping review question was 'What is known about the impact of care experience prior to commencing pre-registration nurse education and training?' The primary objective was to scope and synthesise existing literature relating to the topic and ascertain key themes pertaining to impact. A secondary objective was to appraise literature, to contextualise findings and assess the state and stage of knowledge and research in the area.

DESIGN

The review was guided by Arksey and O'Malley's methodological framework and is reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist.

DATA SOURCES

Health sciences databases CINAHL, Medline and PubMed.

METHODS

Databases were searched in February 2019, updated August 2021. Data (study characteristics, findings, methodological observations) were extracted from papers meeting inclusion criteria (including peer-reviewed empirical papers with English language, electronic full-text available) and findings thematically analysed.

RESULTS

Forty-five papers from 14 countries were included. The majority (64.4 %) were published in Europe (31.1 % in the United Kingdom) between 2010 and 2021 (69 %), 60 % from 2013. Four qualitative themes (compassionate care, commitment, competence and communication) describe the impact of prior care experience, which was variable.

CONCLUSIONS

Evidence to support the effectiveness of prior care experience as a prerequisite for entry into nurse education to improve compassion, is inconsistent and insufficient. The literature displays methodological limitations and conclusions should be interpreted in light of these caveats. Recommendations are made for future research, to improve quality and comparability.

The effectiveness of a career efficacy enhancement program for KOREAN nursing students: A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND

Nursing students tend not to consider their career paths during their college years but if they enter nursing without having established a career identity during college, they will have low job satisfaction and high turnover intentions.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a career efficacy enhancement program on nursing students' career decision, identity, preparation behavior, and efficacy.

DESIGN

A two-group, quasi-experimental design was used.

SETTING

The study took place at two universities in South Korea.

PARTICIPANTS

Overall, 69 baccalaureate nursing students participated.

METHODS

Two program booklets and a workbook were developed for a career efficacy enhancement program that ran in 2018. Data were collected at three timepoints and analyzed using a Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and a repeated measures ANOVA.

RESULTS

Career identity differed significantly between groups (p = 0.005), measurement times (p = 0.000), and in the interaction between groups and measurement times (p = 0.000). Career decision differed significantly between groups (p = 0.009), measurement times (p = 0.013), and in the interaction between groups and measurement times (p = 0.002). Career preparation behavior did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.550) but did differ significantly between measurement times (p = 0.000) and in the interaction between groups and measurement times (p = 0.001). Career efficacy did not differ significantly between groups (p = 0.213) but did differ significantly between measurement times (p = 0.000) and in the interaction between groups and measurement times (p = 0.000).

CONCLUSION

The career efficacy enhancement program improved nursing students' career decision skills, identities, preparation behavior, and efficacy.

"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.