Assessment of Students’ Attitudes Towards the Nursing Profession at Wolkite University, Ethiopia, 2021

Abstract

Background: Nurses are the backbone of healthcare services, and nurses at work should be held responsible for providing highquality care. A common problem at all levels of healthcare institutions is the negative attitude of the nursing profession. There is limited research on the subject of students' attitudes. The nursing profession and its evolution are influenced by social, cultural, and moral factors.Objective: To identify the attitudes of nursing students towards the nursing profession at wolkite university, 2021.Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out between April 2 and May 30, 2021. The chosen nursing students were selected using a simple random sampling method. A pretest and a standardized self-administer questionnaire were used to get the data. Epi data 3.1 versions were used to enter the data, which was subsequently exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to find the associated factors of attitude toward the nursing profession. Statistical significance was defined as a P-value < 0.05. Results: A total of 364 participants completed the study questionnaires giving a response rate of 86.6%. Nearly half of 170 (46.7%) with a range of (41.0-52.2) the study participants showed a positive attitude towards the nursing profession. Age (AOR: 4.54; 95% CI: 1.33-15.45) than younger, living in urban (AOR:2.64;95% CI;1.29-5.40), monthly income of less than 1000 ETB (AOR:0.23; 95% CI:0.06-0.38) family reacted positively after they join nursing (AOR: 12.5; 95% CI;4.78-32.69), and interest in the nursing profession (AOR:7.28, 95% CI; 2.01-26.36) were significantly associated with a positive attitude toward nursing profession.Conclusion and Recommendation: Overall, less than half of nursing students had a positive attitude toward the nursing profession. Age, Residence, Family monthly income, Students whose families reacted positively after they join the nursing Profession, and students who joined the nursing profession of their interest were significantly associated with the nursing profession. Thus stake holders in universities, health science colleges, the ministry of education, the ministry of health, and Ethiopian nursing associations have to give due attention to enrolling students who had their interest to join the nursing profession and portray a positive image of the nursing profession.