Factors influencing acceptance or decline of a hospital-sponsored scholarship by nursing students in Taiwan: a qualitative descriptive study

Abstract

Background Maintaining sufficient nursing personnel is critical for healthcare systems worldwide. Improving retention of nurses is one means of addressing this shortfall. To foster retention, some hospitals in Taiwan provide nursing scholarships contingent on recipients signing a 3-year employment contract. However, it is unclear what factors influence students’ decisions to accept or reject a scholarship. Methods The purpose of this exploratory qualitative descriptive study was to obtain an understanding of the subjective experiences of fourth-year nursing school students (N = 87) who accepted (n = 43) or declined (n = 44) a hospital-sponsored nursing school scholarship. Students were selected by purposive sampling from the department of nursing of a private university in northern Taiwan. Data were collected between 2013 and 2014 using face-to-face-in-depth interviews. Results The mean age of participants was 22.7 years; most (94%) were female (n = 82). Analysis of the interview data showed the choice to accept or decline the scholarship and making career decisions occurred in three stages for both groups: the considering their options, making the decision, and assessment of their decision. Conclusions Although the variables at each of these stages differed between groups, both sponsored and non-sponsored students felt a responsibility to continue as employees of the hospital after graduation. Financial status, the hospital environment, and future long-term career goals were important factors affecting the acceptance or rejection of the hospital scholarship. These results could provide insight into factors students consider important for making long-term commitments as a nursing professional, which could not only improve retention of nurses, but also serve as a guideline for career planning.

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

“…Some male nursing students in undergraduate and key undergraduate schools are in an uncertain state for engaging in the nursing profession. They affirm the value of the nursing profession, but conversely, they are not satisfied with the salary, social status and other factors (Öncü et al, 2021 ; Tsou et al, 2021 ); in this instance, the probability of departure is high (Hsu et al, 2010 ). In addition, these nursing students hope to seek better career development by upgrading their academic qualifications.…”

The Effects of Team Reflexivity and Gender-Role Attitudes on Female Nurses

“…This has important implications. In Taiwan, while nursing personnel have access to plenty job opportunities and earn decent salaries on average (Hsu et al, 2020; Tsou et al, 2021), these benefits may not fully offset the high levels of work stress they experience (Tsou et al, 2021). Further, due to the traditional expectation that women are the primary caregivers in families, some women may enter the nursing profession as a means of earning additional income to support their families rather than solely for the purpose of personal fulfillment or self-actualization (Pien et al, 2021).…”

“…Additionally, it is important for managers to acknowledge and take into consideration the individual family circumstances of their team members. When faced with role conflicts, people make different choices depending on their unique circumstances and motivations (Hsu et al, 2020; Pien et al, 2021; Tsou et al, 2021). Those who attach greater importance to the traditional female role and/or to helping others may experience family-work conflict (Pien et al, 2021).…”