Nurses' choice of clinical field in early career

Abstract

The choice of clinical field after graduation correlates with undergraduate nursing students' perceived professional qualifications and job values.

A longitudinal study of nurses’ career choices: The importance of career expectations on employment in care of older people

“…In contrast with the hypothesis, nursing students with a high score on ‘perceived theoretical knowledge’ are as likely to choose care of older people as general hospital care after graduation. As pointed out in the article, this result may indicate that undergraduate nursing education has succeeded in exposing students to the professional challenges arising in care of older people (Abrahamsen, ). The present study will reveal both the attractiveness of geriatric care and the career expectations that nurses in this field emphasize during their first 10 years of employment.…”

“…It seems likely that newly educated nurses are aware of this opportunity and a positive relationship between nursing students' expectations of attaining a management position and their future employment in care of older people can be expected. This corresponds with the tendency for nurses who choose care of older people to emphasize autonomy in their work more often than those who choose general hospital care (Abrahamsen, 2015). We may therefore hypothesize that a high expectation of attaining a management position will increase the likelihood of choosing employment in geriatric care (compared with general hospital care).…”

“…He claims that career expectations represent career pursuits that an individual considers realistic and accessible. A previous study on nurses reveals a relationship between choice of clinical field in their early careers, professional qualifications and job values (Abrahamsen, ). Three factors appear relevant for recent graduate nurses’ career choices: altruism, theoretical knowledge and practical skills.…”

JAN 40 years on

“…In addition, our strategy is to ‘horizon scan’ the global issues in nursing and to ensure that we are providing coverage. Issues such as the changing demographics of the nursing workforce and the concomitant and complicated shortages of nurses will remain a major focus, and we have addressed these already (Abrahamsen , Liebermann et al . , Tourangeau et al .…”

Relationship among upgrades in academic qualifications, practice accreditations, self‐efficacy, outcome expectations and nurses' career interest

“…This makes entry‐level positions within the profession more appealing to prospective nurses (because there are lower barriers to career entry), and it also helps retain nurses who are interested in pursuing advancements, that is career interest (Chang et al, ). The literature has identified the antecedents of career interest, including positive experiences (Ashley, Peters, Brown, & Halcomb, ), social influence, past performance (Thungjaroenkul, Cummings, & Tate, ) and perceived practical skills (Abrahamsen, ). Past performance and practical skills comprise an individual's perceived professional competence, which would further positively impact career choices in one or more specialized nursing area (Halcomb, Salamonson, Raymond, & Knox, ), indicating the importance of professional competence.…”