What motivates people to commence a graduate entry nursing programme: a mixed method scoping review

Abstract

Background The global deficit of nurses demands urgent attention in the recruitment and education of this future workforce. Graduate entry nursing (GEN) programmes are one option for people with undergraduate degrees who are seeking nursing education. Determining the key motivations for enrolling in these programmes will support the development of new initiatives in the education sector to both recruit and retain this future workforce and inform future primary research. This scoping review aims to comprehensively describe what motivates graduates to enrol in GEN programmes. Methods Peer reviewed studies of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method research investigating motivations to commence a graduate entry nursing programme were included, following a pre-determined protocol. Electronic databases searched included Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Emcare, ERIC, Medline and Scopus. Screening, data extraction and analysis was initially in duplicate and independent, then consensus reached. Qualitative and quantitative data was analysed and reported separately then combined thematically as a narrative synthesis in a convergent segregated approach. Reporting followed preferred reporting guidelines for scoping reviews. Results Of the 491 studies retrieved in July 2020, across the five databases and reference list search, six met the inclusion criteria. Four were qualitative studies, one mixed-methods, and one quantitative, respectively from Australia, USA, and New Zealand. Four themes of motivation were identified: 1) finding meaning and purpose through altruism and caring; 2) seeking a satisfying career, 3) looking for a change in direction and, 4) reduced financial burden due to course length and provision of scholarships. Conclusions There is a paucity of studies specifically seeking to investigate student motivations for enrolling in a GEN programme and only limited studies giving insights into motivators for enrolling in a GEN programme, therefore this scoping review contributes new understandings on the reason’s students choose GEN programmes. These are both altruistic and practical and include personal desires to help others, the need to pursue a satisfying and meaningful career and the shorter period out of the workforce offered by an accelerated programme of study.

The Sources of Research Self-Efficacy in Postgraduate Nursing Students: A Qualitative Study

“…However, there are differences between programs, and this finding should be taken with caution. The participants in the present study pursued their master’s degree with goals, and they had a high level of self-efficacy while being able to focus on the experience, which is in line with the previous study [ 20 , 21 ]. First-year postgraduate students also agree that it is beneficial to have clear expectations at the beginning [ 22 ].…”

Strategies to Evaluate and Enhance Accelerated Second-Degree Nursing Pathways

“…Finally, graduate pathways are more aligned with other professions from an interprofessional education (IPE) standpoint. Nursing is often the only profession in IPE scenarios with students training at the technical level and peers training at the graduate or doctoral levels; this mismatch limits the extent to which students can be taught together 2…”

“…Furthermore, although second-degree students are new to nursing, they are further along in their careers compared with traditional students 2,3,6 ; as such, they may be uniquely qualified to advance more rapidly into clinical and senior leadership roles. 2,3 In addition, second-degree graduates tend to score higher in measures of resilience, which helps counteract staffing crises. 7 Resilience translates to longer tenures in nursing roles and the ability to withstand the critical 6-to 12-month period after graduation.…”

“…Accelerated second-degree nursing programs have proliferated in the last 25 years, driven in large part by global nursing shortages 1–3. Academic-practice pipelines—or the pipelines of students from admissions through graduation, licensure, and practice—depended on accelerated programs even before COVID-19 began.…”

Doing Case Study Research Collaboratively: The Benefits for Researchers

“…The ten-member team was developed in mid-2019 to research the motivations and experiences of graduate-entry MNSc students enrolled in three universities and an Institute of Technology within Australasia and have published their findings in 2021 (Jarden et al, 2021; Macdiarmid et al, 2021b, 2021). The New Zealand team members were located within the North and South Island, and the Australian researchers were from the State of Victoria.…”